E-Structural (English Studies on Translation, Culture, Literature, and Linguistics)

Muslim women and patriarchy: Struggles and resistance in the short stories of Randa Jarrar and Shaila Abdullah

2026-03-02T07:47:32+00:00

This study discusses how the Muslim female main characters in Randa Jarrar’s short stories, “Accidental Transients and The Life, Loves”, and “Adventures of Zelwa the Halfie” (2016), and Shaila Abdullah’s “Amulet for the Caged Dove” and “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust” (2005), experience the struggles with patriarchal constraints. Moreover, this study examines how the Muslim female main characters resist the very patriarchal system that confines them. This study aims to reveal how patriarchy adversely impacts Muslim women’s lives, how their patriarchal experiences are shaped, and their agency in liberating themselves. A descriptive qualitative method was employed using comprehensive textual analyses to examine the selected issues. This study employs several feminist theories, including Sylvia Walby’s theory of Patriarchy, to explore how the Muslim female main characters’ struggles are presented, and Kimberlé Crenshaw's theory of Intersectionality to investigate how their gender intersects with their diverse social identities. In addition, James Scott’s theory of Resistance is employed to examine how the Muslim female main characters resist patriarchy. The findings show that there is a private form of patriarchy perpetuated by both men and women within the short stories. Furthermore, patriarchal experiences occur due to the interaction between gender and cultural background, and the Muslim female main characters’ resistance is illustrated through positive self-affirmations, self-perceptions, and eventually leaving the patriarchal environment. As a result, this study contributes to raising awareness of the struggles that Muslim women must face due to patriarchy and promotes Muslim women’s empowerment in overcoming its adverse impact through resistance.

A systematic literature review of translation memory mechanisms in technology-based translation processes

2026-04-21T02:24:51+00:00

This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of Translation Memory (TM) mechanisms in technology-based translation processes, explicitly following the PRISMA framework for identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion of studies. A total of 26 journal articles and conference papers published between 2020 and 2025 were analyzed. Findings reveal that TM operates through core mechanisms, including segmentation, storage of translation units, matching, retrieval, exact matches, fuzzy matches, and similarity measurement, which improve translation consistency, efficiency, and productivity, especially in repetitive and specialized tasks. The study also identifies limitations of TM, including dependence on database quality, reduced contextual flexibility, and challenges in capturing semantic variation with conventional matching methods. Furthermore, recent studies show that TM has evolved beyond traditional CAT tools and is increasingly integrated into neural machine translation and retrieval-augmented systems. This review contributes to the field by synthesizing current research trends, highlighting gaps in the literature, and providing recommendations for future studies to advance the integration and application of TM in modern translation workflows.

Cultural tensions as the catalyst of intergenerational trauma in The Joy Luck Club

2026-04-29T07:16:20+00:00

This study examines the dynamics of mother-daughter interactions in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club through the lens of intergenerational cultural conflict and Brave Heart’s theory of historical trauma. This analysis investigates how mothers’ past experiences influence their relationships with their daughters in America and focuses on four mother-daughter pairs. The relationship between Suyuan Woo and Jing-mei Woo is characterized by high aspirations that Jing-mei interprets as emotional suffering due to loss and deferred dreams. Unspoken pain is transmitted through silence and emotional distance in the relationship between Ying-ying St. Clair and Lena St. Clair, which encourages passivity and a sense of powerlessness in the next generation. Meanwhile, the relationship between Lindo Jong and Waverly Jong shows how conflict arises from past trauma that emphasizes control and reputation through excessive pride and creates pressure for the daughter. As in the relationship between An-mei Hsu and Rose Hsu Jordan, the experience of loss shapes the need for assertiveness and inner strength, but this conflicts with the daughter’s values of independence. Overall, this study suggests that the tension between mother and daughter in the novel stems from inherited emotional trauma stemming from differences in cultural values between first and second-generation immigrants.