Patriarchy as a Contagious Speech Act in an Urdu Film Bol

Abstract

The goal of this study is to explore how such speech acts, particularly as reflected in the narrative of Bol, produce systemic oppression in Pakistan’s patriarchal society. The research focuses on how speech, grounded in cultural and religious authority, functions as a mechanism of gendered control. It also investigates the moments where language resists where characters use counter speech to challenge the moral frameworks that bind them. The study is significant since, by applying Butler’s theory of contagious speech acts to the selected verbal structures, the research highlights how language infects social thinking. Just as a virus spread through contact, these patriarchal expressions circulate through homes, pulpits, and state policies establishing obedience, delegitimizing resistance, and maintaining male supremacy. In this way, the study of speech becomes central to understanding how gender discrimination is not only performed but made to feel natural, moral, and unchangeable in everyday life. This study offers a strong platform for further academic inquiry into the intersections of language, gender, and power, particularly in patriarchal, religious, and postcolonial societies like Pakistan. Future studies should consider collecting data from real world sources such as interviews with women, court proceedings, or domestic conversations to enhance empirical depth.

Keywords: Contagious Speech Acts, Patriarchy, Gender Discrimination, Bol