REPRESSION AND VIOLENCE: A STUDY OF SHEHNAZ BASHIR’S THE HALF MOTHER (2014) UNDER REPRESSIVE STATE APPARATUS THEORY

Abstract

This research explores repressive state apparatuses with reference to Shehnaz Bashir’s debut novel The Half Mother (2014). The research throws light on the handling of executive institutions like the police, army and judiciary by the state against the group of people who go against the ideologies of the state. In doing so, the reaction of various characters to the state sponsored terrorism and extremism, as depicted in the novel The Half Mother (2014), are examined and evaluated. Moreover, this study explains how the state uses violence after not getting the desired result by applying repressive state apparatuses (1971). Furthermore, this research extends the domain of the study of state sponsored terrorism through executive institutions and the role of media in the shaping of public opinion. Thus, the study is beneficial for future studies in the field of state apparatuses and paves the way for further research into the events or elements which lead to crimes perpetrated by the state. Keywords: State, State Apparatuses, Violence, Repression