Girls’ education in Balochistan, Pakistan: exploring a postcolonial Islamic governmentality

Abstract

This paper explores the status of girls’ education in the schools of rural Balochistan in Pakistan, and examines the dimensions of access, enrolment and retention. In order to explore the complexities of this governmental problem, we will propose the concept of postcolonial Islamic governmentality. Drawing on Foucault’s work on the arts of government, with Dean’s (2010) writing on illiberal governmentalities, and the work of Salehin (2016) on pious governmentality in Bangladesh, we will suggest that postcolonial Islamic governmentalities emerge at the intersections of the legacies of British colonialism in Pakistan’s post-colonial governance; the influence of processes of neo-liberal globalisation in the policies of developing countries by donor countries, development NGOs and the SDGs; and the forms of Islamic governance embedded in the juridical, cultural, social and gender relations of Pakistan as a postcolonial, Islamic state.

Keywords:

• Gender
• education
• governmentality
• postcolonial theory
• Sustainable Development Goals

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The cleric who leads Muslim congregational prayers.

2 Islamic religious school in South Asia.

3 This paper emerges from the PhD project of the first author, and from their experience growing up and being educated in Balochistan, and extensive policy experience as a senior level bureaucrat and administrator in the Balochistan civil service and transnational organisations over two decades.

4 Conservative religious groups reject separation of religion and politics and argue for complete implementation of Islamic law (Shariah) in Pakistan.

5 The veil and boundary wall of a house, used in Pakistan as a popular discourse for the traditional role of women in society.

6 Legal male guardian of a woman such as father, brother and husband.

7 This concept was used by MIlitary ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2002 to give the impression of his regime’s moderate policies in relation to fundamentalist Islam.

8 Male domination in colonial administrative and bureaucratic institutions in colonial India.

9 Reproduction of male domination in the postcolonial governing institutions and patriarchal operatives.

10 Patriarchy operates in diverse ways depending on local culture, religion, socio-economic situation and education level of parents.