Stigma as an Attribute of Oppression or an Agent of Change

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe the processes of stigmatization and oppression of women as presented by Bernardine Evaristo in her book Girl, Woman, Other. The book features twelve female characters who are very different from each other, but what they have in common is that they each, in their own way, face stigma, misunderstanding and social exclusion. The social construction of stigma causes various kinds of social inequalities of the stigmatized. Through the fictional narratives of the stigmatized and the reflection of their position in the novel, stigmatized women become the bearers of change and not merely the victims of oppression.