Tatar Woman’s Existential Concerns In Guzel Yakhina’s Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes

Abstract

Guzel Yakhina has a significant interest in the social impact of Russian woman emancipation. She emphasizes the need to rethink Tatar women's existential concerns. Yakhina’s Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes depicts a Tatar woman's feminist experience, as she tries to make her presence felt in Tatar patriarchal society. From psychoanalytic and feminist viewpoints, this paper examines Zuleikha's yearning for self- recognition and projects her battle against men’s habit of thought, the oppressive behaviours and Tatar women submissiveness. Findings show that Tatar women's existential concerns bolster Zuleikha's forceful behavior and urge transgressing Tatar patriarchal norms and conventions.