The Politics of Cultural Translation in The Breadwinner: A Critical Discourse Study

M. S. Thendral; Dr.G. Karthigaiselvi

Article Details

The Politics of Cultural Translation in The Breadwinner: A Critical Discourse Study

Authors:

M. S. Thendral | Dr.G. Karthigaiselvi

Publisher:

SKY Publications

Journal:

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.13 Issue 1, pp.221-229

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001928063

pISSN:

2395-2628

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This study critically examines the politics of cultural translation in Deborah Ellis’s The Breadwinner through the analytical lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). As a globally circulated humanitarian narrative, The Breadwinner transforms Afghan socio-cultural realities into a form accessible to Western readership, thereby mediating complex intersections of gender, conflict, and identity. Drawing upon the frameworks of postcolonial translation theory and discourse studies, the research investigates how narrative strategies, linguistic choices, and representational patterns construct particular images of Afghan girlhood, Islamic culture, and Taliban authoritarianism. The analysis reveals that while the text foreground’s themes of resilience and empowerment, it also subtly embeds asymmetrical power relations that reproduce Western-centric perspectives of the “other.” Through a close reading of key episodes and discursive markers, the study highlights how cultural specificities are negotiated, simplified, or recontextualized during the translation of Afghan lived experience into a humanitarian literary market. Ultimately, this research argues that The Breadwinner operates not merely as a story of survival but as a cultural and political artifact shaped by global discourses on trauma, war, and female agency. The study contributes to broader debates on representation, ethics, and power in literature that translates marginalized cultures for international audiences.

Article Details

The Politics of Cultural Translation in The Breadwinner: A Critical Discourse Study

Authors:

M. S. Thendral | Dr.G. Karthigaiselvi

Publisher:

SKY Publications

Journal:

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.13 Issue 1, pp.221-229

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001928063

pISSN:

2395-2628

Cultural Translation

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)

Postcolonial Representation

Humanitarian Narrative

Afghan Girlhood PDF Journal categories

Issues

Article Details

The Politics of Cultural Translation in The Breadwinner: A Critical Discourse Study

Authors: M. S. Thendral | Dr.G. Karthigaiselvi

Publisher: SKY Publications

Journal: International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.13 Issue 1, pp.221-229

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2026

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001928063

pISSN: 2395-2628

Cultural Translation

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)

Postcolonial Representation

Humanitarian Narrative

Afghan Girlhood PDF Journal categories

Issues

Authors:

M. S. Thendral | Dr.G. Karthigaiselvi

Publisher:

SKY Publications

Journal:

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.13 Issue 1, pp.221-229

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001928063

pISSN:

2395-2628