Pakistani Fiction

Feminist Ideology and Practice

Prof. Dr. Zia Ahmed
 The Content

• Introduction to Pakistani Fiction and Feminism

• Phases in Pakistani Fiction and representation of Women
• Pakistani Postcolonial Feminism
• Woman with(out) Man
• Neoliberalism and Postfeminism
 Pakistani Fiction

THE Pakistani novel in English occupies a space of

contestation and confusion (Zakriya, Rafia. 2014, Dawn.com)
What is Pakistani Fiction?
Who is Pakistani writer?
Perimeters of Pakistani Fiction
Pakistani fiction in English reflects the society that
breeds it - full of possibility, yes, but hindered by a
system that ought to have righted itself by now (Zubair,
Hamna. 2015. (Images)
Feminism and Pakistani Fiction

• Feminism
• Postcolonial Feminism
• Pakistani Postcolonial Feminism
• presence of feminism in Pakistani fiction in the
postcolonial perspective glocalizes the feministic
trends available in Pakistani fiction in terms of the
wider scenario of feminism in the world (Ahmed,
Zia. 2009)
Major Phases of Pakistani Fiction

• Pre-partition Phase
• Post-Partition Phase
• Diasporic Onslaught
• Post 9/11 Fiction
• Fiction and Neo-Liberalism
• Post-Independence / Post-Colonial Pakistani Fiction in
English (ahmed, Munawar Iqbal (2009)
 Pre-partition Fiction

• Shaikh Deen Mohammad: Travels of Sake Din

Mohamet
• Ahmed Ali: Twilight in Delhi
• Mumtaz Shahnawaz: The Heart Divided
 The Tradition
• Ahmed Ali:
• Begum Waheed. Mrs Mir Nihal
• Babban Jan
• Bilqees
• Mehru
 Post-Partition Fiction

• Zebunnisa Hameedullah: The Young Wife (She Devil)

• Zulifkaar Ghose: The Murder of Aziz Khan
 The Diasporic Effect
• Bapsi Sidhwa: The Pakistani Bride
• Qaisra Shahraz: The Holy Woman
• Nadeem Aslam: The Season of Rain birds
• Sara Suleri: Meatless Days
• Mohsin Hamid: The Moth Smoke
 Post 9/11 Fiction

• The Reluctant Fundamentalist

• A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Neo-Liberalist Fiction

• How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

 Man & struggle of Woman

• Struggle and Resistance is not without Man

 Women with(out) Man
• Mumtaz Shahnawaz
• The Heart Divided
• Zohra and Her Brother Habib
 Woman with a Man

• Bapsi sidhwa
• The Pakistani Bride
• Zaitoon and Army Man (Sakhi)
• An American Brat
• Feroza and Manek & David
 Man with Woman
• Kamila Shamsie
• Kartography
• Raheen and Karim
• Qaisra Shahraz
• The Holy Woman
• Zari Bano and Sikandar
 Woman advocates Man
• Ahmed Ali
• Twilight in Delhi
• Waheed begum and Asghar
• Zulifkar Ghose
• Murder Aziz Khan
• Razia with Afaq
 Woman seeks Man
• Nadeem Aslam
• The Season of Rain Birds
• Sorraya and Shams
• Hanif Koreshie
• The Black Album
• Deedee and Shahid
 Shift in The Driving Seat
• Mohsin Hamid
• Moth Smoke
• Daru and Taji
• The reluctant Fundamentalist
• Erica and Changez
• How to Get Filthy rich in Rising Asia
• Pretty Girl (Protagonist) and You
 R&R

Mumtaz Shahnawaz
Zohra
Sorraya
A prototype of Resistance
 Tactical R & R
• Zaibunisa Hameedullah
• The Young Wife (She Devil)
• Zulifkar Ghose
• Razia
 Modern Conflict
• 21st Century Women
• Cultural Conflict
• War Zones: migrations and displacements
• Identity Crises
• Economy the whirling force
• Relations in tension
• Love and Duty
• Divorces and Marriages
 The Writer
• Writers in Conflict
• Nomadism
• The Third Space
• Empire Writes Back
• Writing as a market
• Aligning with the Master
• Postcoloniality to Neocoloniality
• Neolibralism and disappearance of identity
 Post-Feminism?
• Is Pakistani Postcolonial Feminism Extending boundaries?
• Is Postcolonial Feminism Closing in on Feminism?
• Is Feminism needed at all?
• Are we touching Feminism free world?
• Postmodernism and Neoliberalism and Postfeminism?