Journal Of Social Science and Knowledge Horizons

Identity, Resistance, and Empowerment: Examining Racism, Sexism, and Islamophobia in Susan Muaddi Darraj’s Farah Rocks

2025-11-30T20:55:37+00:00

This study analyzes Susan Muaddi Darraj’s Farah Rocks as a powerful narrative that illuminates the lived experiences of minority children facing racism, sexism, and Islamophobia in Western societies. Through the story of Farah, an Arab American Muslim girl, the novel portrays how discriminatory behaviors at school and in public spaces can shape self-perception, belonging, and emotional well-being. Employing a thematic literary analysis, the research highlights Farah’s resilience as she navigates bullying, cultural stereotyping, and gendered expectations. Despite systemic prejudice, Farah’s strong family ties, personal determination, and cultural pride enable her to resist marginalization and reclaim her confidence. The study argues that the novel plays a significant role in children’s literature by promoting empathy, diversity, and awareness of social inequities. It underscores how empowering stories like Farah Rocks help foster inclusive mindsets and support young readers in understanding complex issues of identity and discrimination.

Keywords: Identity and Resilience, Racism and Islamophobia, Sexism in Children’s Literature, Arab American Representation, Susan Muaddi Darraj’s Farah Rocks

Unveiling Power, Identity, and Patriarchy: A Deconstructive Reading of Tehmina Durrani’s My Feudal Lord

2025-11-30T21:04:08+00:00

This paper is a deconstructive examination of Tehmina Durrani and her autobiographical novel My Feudal Lord and how it criticizes the society of patriarchy, power dynamics, and rifts and contradictions inherent in feudal culture. Using the principles of deconstruction as developed by Derrida, the study examines how the story subverts certain wholesome meanings of gender, power, and victimization. The story by Durrani reveals the oppressive constructs of the feudal society and shows the hypocrisy of love, loyalty, violence and freedom of choice within the abusive relationship. In the study, it is noted that the text weakens the conventional signs of masculinity and authority as the fragmented identity of the narrator, who is subjected to emotional, social, and political limitations is preempted. The analysis, through its analysis of binary oppositions, including power/submission and public/private, shows how the autobiography proves the dominant discourses and provides space to allow other readings of the female agency. This contribution is one of the main points that this work brings to the feminist and poststructuralist studies of literature.

Keywords; Deconstruction, Patriarchy and Power, Autobiographical Narrative, Female Agency, Tehmina Durrani’s My Feudal Lord

Motivational Factors and Their Impact on Long-Term Second Language Retention among University Learners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

2025-11-30T21:27:53+00:00

The paper discusses the importance of motivation in long-term retention of second language (L2) among university students in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw, Pakistan. The research is based on key motivational theories, including the Socio-Educational Model by Gardner and the L2 Motivational Self System by Dornyei, to determine how intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, and instrumental motivation affects the capabilities of the learners to maintain the mastery of the English language. Data collection was based on the mixed-method approach and was performed by surveys (questionnaires), language-retention tests, and semi-structured interviews with students and teachers. The results show that students who are highly intrinsically and integratively motivated have been found to retain more vocabulary, show better speaking fluent and more long-term language sustained. The research also indicates that positive learning conditions, educational encouragement, and appreciable language exposure lead to long-lasting motivation. The results point to the importance of introducing motivational approaches to curriculum and pedagogy in universities to enhance the long-term L2 retention among institutions of higher learning.

Keywords: Second Language Retention, Motivation in Language Learning, University Students, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Early Bilingual Exposure and Its Impact on English Acquisition: A Critical Period Perspective in the Pakistani Context

2025-11-30T21:31:28+00:00

In this study, the researcher explores the practices of early bilingual education on the development of English language in the critical period among Pakistani children. The study will be based on the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) and will assess the impact of exposure to two languages (usually, the native language plus English) on the phonological, lexical and grammatical progression. The study is performed with the help of a mixed-method design, which examines the difference in performance of children studying in bilingual programs and traditional monolingual schooling. The language proficiency tests, observation in the classroom and interview with the teacher show that the early bilingual learners are more accurate in pronunciation, retain more vocabulary and have better receptive and productive language skills. The results indicate that early bilingual education has been found to increase cognitive flexibility and help learners acquire the English language more naturally within a critical time span. The research has implications on curriculum development and states that there is need to have structured policies on bilingual in the early education system in Pakistan.

Keywords: Early Bilingual Education, Critical Period Hypothesis, English Language Development, Pakistani Education System, Language Acquisition Strategies

Interpreting Political Satire in Dawn: A Relevance-Theoretic Study of Editorial Discourse (Dec 2024–Feb 2025)

2025-11-30T21:34:51+00:00

The paper focuses on evaluating political jokes on the Dawn newspaper in the period between December 2024 and February 2025 using the Relevance Theory as an analytical tool. The study explores the extent to which authors employ irony, implicit meaning, contextual interpretation, and cognitive influence to satirize political events and government performance in Pakistan by using important satirical articles and opinion pieces on the topic. Relevance Theory where emphasis was given to optimal relevance assists in revealing how readers make inferences about the deeper meanings behind the literal meanings. The paper states that satirical discourse utilises a mutually understandable socio-political knowledge, cultural allusions, and practical conclusions to attract the attention of readers and increase the persuasiveness of commentary. It further discusses how satire influences the masses, challenges the establishment and enhances political consciousness at a time when there were electoral campaigns, issues in governance and power shifts. The results indicate that satire in Dawn serves as a cognitive and social-political instrument, which contributes to the media communication and journalistic criticism.

Keywords: Political Satire, Relevance Theory, Dawn Newspaper, Pragmatic Analysis, Media Discourse (2024–2025)