Dangerous Silences: South Asian Immigrant Women and the Threat of Domestic Violence - Syeda Salma Akter

Abstract : South Asian immigrant women often experience domestic violence in silence, shaped by cultural expectations, language barriers, social stigma, fear, and difficulties of cultural assimilation. Although scholarship has examined trauma and post-traumatic healing among immigrant women subjected to violence, comparatively limited attention has been given to the role of silence as a cultural and psychological mechanism that prevents victims from seeking assistance or leaving abusive relationships. This study addresses this gap through a comparative analysis of Sejal Badani’s Trail of Broken Wings (2015) and Uma Parameswaran’s The Sweet Smell of Mother’s Milk-Wet Bodice (2001), focusing on the representation of domestic violence, trauma, silence, and female agency. Employing close textual and feminist analysis, the study examines how cultural expectations, familial pressures, and fear reinforce women’s silence and sustain cycles of abuse. The analysis demonstrates that silence functions not merely as an absence of speech but as a form of internalized social control that constrains victims’ agency and access to support. In Trail of Broken Wings, Ranee’s prolonged silence intensifies her psychological trauma and ultimately contributes to her radical response to her abuser, while the narratives collectively expose the destructive consequences of culturally imposed silence. The study concludes that breaking silence is essential to transforming victimhood into agency and calls for greater cultural awareness, institutional support, and gender-sensitive interventions for South Asian immigrant women experiencing domestic violence. Keywords: Domestic Violence; South Asian Immigrant Women; Culture of Silence; Trauma; Female Agency