What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to analyze the transformation of Sita’s identity from archetype to individual through narrative reinterpretations.

May 6, 2026Open Access

Sita Beyond the Archetype: A Comparative Study of Identity and Agency in Eastern and Western Mythological Retellings

Key Points

The research aims to analyze the transformation of Sita’s identity from archetype to individual through narrative reinterpretations.
Comparative analysis of Eastern and Western interpretations of Sita's character
Utilization of The Liberation of Sita as the primary narrative reference
Engagement with feminist and postcolonial philosophical frameworks
Reconstruction of Sita's identity highlights the importance of marginalized subjectivity
Examines how traditional archetypes can be reinterpreted to reflect modern feminist thought
Indicates that Sita's characterization raises questions about cultural representations of womanhood

Abstract

The present paper examines the evolution of Sita’s identity from a mythical archetype to a more individualised, self-aware being through a comparative analysis of Eastern narrative reinterpretation and Western academic frameworks. Situated within the larger discourse of revisionist mythmaking, the research utilises The Liberation of Sita as its primary narrative reference, while also engaging with Western feminist and postcolonial philosophy to examine the reconstruction of marginalised subjectivity within literary discourse. In the Ramayana, Sita has long been seen as a symbol of morality, strength, and stillness. This image has become an ideal of womanhood that is profoundly ingrained in culture. Yet this very clarity begins to feel unsettled when one pauses over it. How can a character who is so important stay so partially voiced? Modern

Sita Beyond the Archetype: A Comparative Study of Identity and Agency in Eastern and Western Mythological Retellings

Key Points

Abstract

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider