Teaching Sultana’s Dream as a Feminist Utopia to Undergraduates

Abstract

The paper would attempt to negotiate the interstices between theory and pedagogical practice
in dissemination of feminist thought and the everyday performance of gender roles through
the short story Sultana's Dream. The contents of this story open up discussions on Utopian
visions and their plausibility along with discourses on dystopias. The search for or dream of
Utopia reflect about a dystopian reality. The imagined Utopia for women possibly creates an
alternate reality in the realm of fantasy which then is open to critique in the classroom. The
text is discussed within the context of a Generic Elective course Contemporary India Women
and Empowerment taught to non English Honours students who are from diverse disciplines.
The challenge is to take them through the textual play with ideas and discourses on gender
equality, normative behaviour and the feasibility of the Utopian vision.