Abstract
Postmodernism refers to a range of artistic, cultural, and philosophical trends. Liberal feminism is a postmodern concept of women's emancipation that advocates for equal rights for both men and women across legal, political, and social domains. The objective of this research is to shed light on liberal feminist perspectives in Bernardine Evaristo’s The Emperor's Babe. This study employed a qualitative textual analysis of the novel. The theoretical framework for analyzing the characteristics of liberal feminism in The Emperor's Babe was based on works by Mary Wollstonecraft (A Vindication of the Rights of Women), John Stuart Mill (On Liberty and The Subjection of Women), Martha Nussbaum (Sex and Social Justice), and Susan Moller Okin (Justice, Gender, and Family). The study aims to provide a unique perspective on the novel's exploration of individual agency, gender equality, and autonomy through the principles of liberal feminism. The findings are compared with other research addressing liberal feminism. The study concludes that The Emperor's Babe exemplifies a liberal feminist stance because it challenges traditional gender roles and identity norms in a distinctly postmodern manner. While intersectional, black feminist, and postcolonial interpretations may offer additional insights, this research primarily focuses on liberal feminism.