The Body as a Strategy of Resistance in Emi Yagi’s Diary of A Void: Analysis Through Judith Butler’s Theory of Gender Performativity

Abstrak

This research analyzes Emi Yagi’s novel Diary of A Void through the perspective of Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, focusing on the body as a strategy of resistance against patriarchal social and cultural constructions of work. The research method used is descriptive qualitative, which involves reading the novel text in depth, identifying narratives and symbols of the body, and interpreting them through Butler's framework of performativity theory. This research aims to reveal: (1) the representation of women's bodies in the workplace, which is rife with sexist gender bias, (2) the simulation of pregnancy as a form of performativity that challenges social norms, and (3) the body as an arena of resistance against the burdens of patriarchy that bind female workers. In addition, this research also examines the implications of resistance strategies through the body on the formation of women's identities and freedom. The results show that the main character’s simulation of pregnancy is not merely a strategy to avoid additional gender-based tasks, but also a performative practice that exposes the contradiction between the biological body and social constructs. By making the body a medium of resistance, the main character successfully negotiates autonomy in an oppressive work environment. This finding confirms that the body, despite being regulated by social norms, can be rearticulated as a means of resistance, thereby opening up critical discourse on the politics of the body and gender performativity in modern life.

Kata kunci

• Diary of A Void
• Feminist literary criticism
• Gender studies
• Judith Butler
• Novel
• Performativitas Gender
• Resistence
• Sosiology of Literature