Decolonial Feminism and Coalition-Building: The Voices of Household Maids in Rukhsana Ahmad's “A Day of Nuggo”

Abstract

This paper examines the literary representation of Christian household maids in Rukhsana Ahmad’s A Day for Nuggo, shedding light on their struggles and acts of defiance within a deeply stratified society.  Drawing on Maria Lugones’ theoretical concepts of “coloniality of gender”, “coalition-building”, and Mafile’o et al.’s concept of “We Story,” the study highlights pervasive inequities these women face both as household maids and as members of a marginalized community.  It critiques the societal tendency to dehumanize or exalt them as superhumans based on their labor. The study uncovers different forms of resistance, such as “coalition-building”, by this marginalized group to challenge oppressive constructs and imposed inferiority. By highlighting the importance of including the narratives of such communities in the scholarships of decoloniality and feminism, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of social issues by centering the marginal groups to such research and literary representations and mildly critiques the unconscious oblivion of Pakistani literary writers to focus on these much-neglected representations.