ভাষায় নারী-পুরুষ: পুরুষতন্ত্র, আধিপত্য ও ক্ষমতা

Abstract

This article presents a critical analysis of the patriarchal structures, power relations, and cultural representations of women embedded in language. Rather than viewing language as a neutral medium of communication, it is conceptualized here as a mechanism through which the dominant social groups project their values, ideologies, and systems of power. Drawing upon Michel Foucault's theory of discourse, Judith Butler's notion of performative gender identity, and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of symbolic power, the paper explores how representations of women are constructed and institutionalized through language. In the Bengali linguistic context, through vocabulary, proverbs, literary metaphors, and media portrayals, a persistent pattern emerges wherein women are positioned as the 'other,' the 'inferior,' or objects of habitual consumption. Furthermore, the paper critically examines how educational texts, everyday speech, and mainstream literature reproduce women's identities as domesticated and self-sacrificial. It argues for the incorporation of gender-sensitive perspectives in education, media, and literary practice, proposing structural reforms that may contribute to the development of a more equitable sociocultural reality.