In Pakistan, the number of women undergoing mastectomy is increasing due to the rising incidence of breast cancer. Mastectomy, often perceived as a life-saving procedure, has profound impacts on a woman's body image and identity. In a society where femininity is closely tied to physical appearance, the removal of one or both breasts can lead to significant psychological distress, affecting not only the individual’s sense of self but also their social interactions and relationships. Despite the critical nature of these issues, the unique challenges faced by Pakistani women undergoing mastectomy, particularly across different life stages, remain underexplored.
This dissertation project focuses on how mastectomy is experienced and negotiated across the life course among breast cancer patients in Pakistan. By centering the intersection of age, identity, and body image, this study aims to provide new insights into the lived experiences of women who undergo mastectomy, highlighting the role of cultural and societal narratives in shaping their self-perception and social relationships. Anchored in material-discursive theory, the research considers how material changes to the body (such as the surgical removal of the breast) are deeply entangled with discursive constructions of femininity, health, and identity. The project also draws on life course and transition theories, examining mastectomy not merely as a medical procedure but as a biographical disruption and a potential turning point that reconfigures women’s trajectories in terms of aging, embodiment, and social belonging.
Participants will include women who have undergone mastectomy, recruited from hospitals and cancer support groups across Punjab, Pakistan. Data will be collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and analyzed using situational analysis, which allows for the mapping of complex social, material, and discursive elements that shape the experiences of mastectomy across different phases of life.