Hassan MahmoodFA23-REL-010Dr. Rai Zahoor AhmedLHR TP 97392026-01-022025https://repository.cuilahore.edu.pk/handle/123456789/84While postcolonial and feminist literary studies have made significant strides, there remains a notable gap in examining how gendered language operates simultaneously as a force of oppression and a means of resistance, particularly within diasporic African narratives. This study addresses that gap by focusing on We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo, using a discourse-analytical approach that combines Michelle Lazar’s Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (2005) with Homi Bhabha’s concept of the Third Space. By situating the analysis within these frameworks, the research investigates how language reflects and reinforces hierarchical structures of power. It looks specifically at the representation of female voices in a range of social contexts, paying close attention to how these voices are constrained or empowered through language. The methodology is qualitative and interpretive, cantering on selected dialogue and narrative moments in the text to explore how language becomes a site of struggle. The findings point to a pattern of linguistic marginalization faced by female characters. Elements such as silence, exclusion, and passive roles often mirror the deeper patriarchal systems at work. However, the analysis also uncovers moments where these same characters exert agency, for instance, by using silence strategically, or by reshaping dominant narratives through storytelling and subtext. Scenes involving Darling’s mother, the imagery of displaced women, and moments of quiet but clear verbal defiance illustrate how resistance is expressed in layered, sometimes understated ways. In doing so, the research contributes to feminist discourse analysis by highlighting the complexity of women's resistance in postcolonial literature. Rather than framing resistance as always direct or confrontational, the study shows how it often operates subtly in language choices, omissions, and narrative shifts. It argues that in Bulawayo’s novel, language is not only a means of control but also a resource through which marginalized voices are reclaimed, redefined, and made audible in contexts shaped by both colonial and patriarchal ideologies.enDepartment of EnglishEnglishDr. Rai Zahoor AhmedFA23Gendered Language and PowerFeminist Critical DiscourseNoViolet Bulawayo’sThesis