Sanabria-Rivera, Marilyn E.

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    From veil to scarf: Gendered identities in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Marvel comics’ Ms. Marvel
    (2019-05-07) Sanabria-Rivera, Marilyn E.; Lamore, Eric D.; College of Arts and Sciences - Art; Chansky, Ricia A.; Flores, Leonardo; Department of English; Rodríguez, Grisell
    In this thesis, I study two critically-acclaimed texts to explore the construction of gendered identities by Muslim and Muslim-American women in contact zones where they struggle to stay true to themselves. I draw on Judith Butler’s notions on gendered performances. In chapter one, “Marji’s Veil: A Tool for Constructing Gendered Identities,” I focus on the first volume of Marjane Satrapi’s authographic Persepolis. I argue that the veil and its associated meanings dictate who Satrapi should be and provide her with a tool to construct and govern her gendered identity. I also maintain that Satrapi’s autographic made it possible for Western audiences to welcome future publications about Muslim-Americans such as Ms. Marvel. In the second chapter, “Kamala’s Scarf: Subverting Gendered, Hyphenated and Superhero Identities,” I study the gendered performances of Kamala Khan—the new Ms. Marvel—by drawing on the work of sociologists and psychologists who study the gendered and cultural identities in Muslim immigrants living in the US. I argue that Khan carries out her identity negotiations—both national and gendered—in a contact zone where she navigates a hyphenated identity in the US. Finally, I discuss how I would use both Persepolis and Ms. Marvel in a secondary-level literature class to teach students how to read and interpret comic books and sharpen their critical thinking skills by using Shirley Lee Linkon’s cognitive apprenticeship model.