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Language, Ideology, and Social Power in Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning: A Critical Discourse Perspective
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Language
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719659
Abstract
Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning (1979) stands as a searing indictment of dowry-related violence and the patriarchal structures that sustain it in Indian society. This paper examines the play through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis, exploring how language functions simultaneously as an instrument of ideological control and a site of resistance. The analysis reveals how Mehta's linguistic choices—in dialogue, characterization, and dramatic structure—expose the power dynamics that reduce women to commodities while simultaneously carving out spaces for critique and subversion. The play demonstrates that language is never neutral; it carries within it the weight of social hierarchies, gendered expectations, and the quiet violence of everyday speech. Through its unflinching portrayal of dowry-related deaths and the complicity of families in perpetuating such violence, Brides Are Not for Burning continues to resonate as a vital work of feminist theatre that challenges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about the relationship between language, ideology, and social power.
Keywords
Critical Discourse Analysis, Dina Mehta, Dowry Deaths, Patriarchy, Feminist Theatre, Language and Power
References
[1] Biswas, P. (2021). Politics of Dowry Deaths in India: A Study of Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning. The Criterion.
[2] Kumar, M. (2023). The Terra-Incognita of Power Dynamics: Interrogating Masculinity and Hypermasculinity in Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning. Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies, 757-762.
[3] Molina Concha, T. V. (2025). The Tradition of Dowry Through the Lens of Postcolonial Feminism in Brides Are Not for Burning. Portal de Revistas UCR.
[4] Sajitha, S. K. (2021). Flaming Extremities in Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning. Palarch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology.
[5] Sanap, S. K. (2025). Patriarchy and Gender Discrimination in Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning. International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies, 4(5), 81–85
How to cite this paper
@article{1719659,
author = {RAJAN, Dr. Nizamuddin},
title = {Language, Ideology, and Social Power in Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning: A Critical Discourse Perspective},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {1028-1031},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719659.pdf},
abstract = {Dina Mehta's Brides Are Not for Burning (1979) stands as a searing indictment of dowry-related violence and the patriarchal structures that sustain it in Indian society. This paper examines the play through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis, exploring how language functions simultaneously as an instrument of ideological control and a site of resistance. The analysis reveals how Mehta's linguistic choices—in dialogue, characterization, and dramatic structure—expose the power dynamics that reduce women to commodities while simultaneously carving out spaces for critique and subversion. The play demonstrates that language is never neutral; it carries within it the weight of social hierarchies, gendered expectations, and the quiet violence of everyday speech. Through its unflinching portrayal of dowry-related deaths and the complicity of families in perpetuating such violence, Brides Are Not for Burning continues to resonate as a vital work of feminist theatre that challenges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about the relationship between language, ideology, and social power.},
keywords = {Critical Discourse Analysis, Dina Mehta, Dowry Deaths, Patriarchy, Feminist Theatre, Language and Power},
month = {July},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719659}
}