Multilayered Colonialism of Women Under Patriarchy: Liberation Achieved Successfully in Djebar’s Children of the New World

This study discusses and analyzes different forms of gender inequality that prevail in a patriarchal society under occupation. The researchers conduct a feminist analysis of Assia Djebar’s Children of the New World. The main female characters in the novel experience multilayered colonialism as they are colonized women suffering under the strict rules of their patriarchal society on one hand, and colonized citizens enduring the harsh conditions of the French occupation on the other. These women resort to various coping mechanisms for survival as a means of decolonization and self-liberation, such as arming themselves with education and forming solidarity among themselves and with men. They deconstruct and subvert the stereotypical image of weak and passive women living in a patriarchal society, providing a new understanding of strong-willed and supportive women who play a significant role in liberating themselves and their country.