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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM63007
Volume:
10 |
5 |
May 2026
Pages:
1-6
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Department of English
AJK College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore, India
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1879) stands as one of the foundational texts of modern drama, challenging rigid social conventions and exposing the limitations imposed upon women within patriarchal society. While the play is conventionally interpreted through feminist and realist perspectives, it also invites significant examination through diasporic frameworks that foreground alienation, displacement, fragmentation of identity, and the search for belonging. Diaspora, in its expanded theoretical sense, does not merely refer to geographical migration but also to psychological, emotional, and cultural estrangement. Nora Helmer’s experience within her domestic environment reflects a form of internal exile in which she is denied agency, individuality, and authentic self-expression. This article investigates A Doll’s House through diasporic perspectives by examining domestic space as a site of exile, the fragmentation of identity under patriarchal structures, and Nora’s departure as symbolic migration. Drawing upon the theoretical insights of Homi K. Bhabha, Stuart Hall, Avtar Brah, and Judith Butler, the paper argues that Nora functions as a metaphorical diasporic subject who negotiates conflicting identities within a socially restrictive environment. Her movement away from domestic imprisonment symbolizes both feminist resistance and the existential journey toward selfhood. By integrating feminist criticism and diaspora studies, the article demonstrates how Ibsen’s play transcends its nineteenth-century context and continues to resonate with contemporary concerns regarding identity, displacement, and liberation.
KEYWORDS
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is not merely a feminist drama but also a profound exploration of displacement, alienation, and identity crisis. Through diasporic perspectives, Nora Helmer emerges as a metaphorical diasporic subject who experiences emotional exile within the domestic sphere. The play portrays home as a site of confinement rather than belonging. Patriarchal structures fragment Nora’s identity and compel her to perform socially acceptable roles. Her eventual departure symbolizes migration toward selfhood, autonomy, and existential freedom. By integrating diaspora theory and feminist criticism, this article demonstrates the multidimensional complexity of Ibsen’s play. Nora’s journey transcends historical and cultural boundaries, representing universal struggles for individuality and recognition. Ultimately, A Doll’s House continues to resonate because it addresses enduring questions regarding identity, belonging, and liberation. Nora’s transformation from passive conformity to active self-awareness remains one of the most powerful representations of resistance in modern literature.
1. Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994. 2. Brah, Avtar. Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities. Routledge, 1996. 3. Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge, 1990. 4. Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing, 1983. 5. Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Identity and Diaspora.” Identity: Community, Culture, Difference, edited by Jonathan Rutherford, Lawrence and Wishart, 1990, pp. 222–237. 6. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Translated by Michael Meyer, Penguin Classics, 1965. 7. Moi, Toril. Henrik Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism. Oxford University Press, 2006. 8. Templeton, Joan. Ibsen’s Women. Cambridge University Press, 1989. 9. Williams, Raymond. Drama from Ibsen to Brecht. Oxford University Press, 1968. 10. Young, Robert J. C. Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Publication Date
5/11/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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