Towards a feminist praxis and pedagogy in higher education: knowledge-building and social action in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

The fourth wave of feminism in Pakistan represents a significant departure from earlier movements, evolving into an intersectional force with widespread participation from younger women. Recent scholarship notes this shift, highlighting how activists are not only demanding equal rights but also critiquing the private/public dichotomy by centreing the intimate spaces where patriarchy is most entrenched. In light of this new phase in the feminist landscape, this article examines the overlooked narratives and experiences of women activists at the Feminist Students Collective (FSC), a student-led collective based in Lahore, Pakistan. It is argued that FSC activists employ a feminist praxis to analyse coloniality and neoliberalism’s entanglement with patriarchy in higher education and beyond. Through mediums such as writing, dance, poetry, theatre, and social media activism, they counter Eurocentrism in institutional spaces of learning and forge epistemic connections across class, religion, ethnicity, and social location in activist spaces.

KEYWORDS:

• Feminism
• intersectionality
• praxis
• student activism
• knowledge-building

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by a Graduate School Fieldwork Grant from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Progressive Students Collective (PSC) is a student-led collective striving for the restoration of student unions, which have been banned in the country since 1948. It was formed in 2015 by a few students in Lahore and has since then expanded to over fifteen cities with membership from public and private universities. Despite the ongoing state repression of critical student voices through police brutality, arrests and sedition charges, PSC continues to maintain a strong presence across various university campuses for resuscitating the Leftist tradition.

2 In 2019 protests at Shaheen Bagh, a locality in Delhi, became a significant symbol of women-led resistance against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The CAA allowed for expedited citizenship in India for non-Muslim migrants, drawing criticism for its exclusion of Muslims.

3 Interview with a female student activist at Forman Christian College University.

4 Safdar Hashmi was a prominent playwright, actor and activist known for his influential street theatre. A founding member of Jana Natya Manch (People’s Theatre Front) in India, Hashmi was dedicated to using art as a means of social commentary and activism, advocating for the rights of the marginalized and oppressed.

5 Kishwar Naheed, a prominent Pakistani feminist poet, is known for her powerful contributions that have been instrumental in shaping feminist discourse in Pakistan. Her poetry continues to be celebrated in addressing gender-based issues with art.

6 Mai Jindo was a female labourer hailing from Tando Bahawal, Sindh. In 1992, a Pakistan Army detachment took the lives of her two sons and son-in-law, alongside seven other villagers who were farmers. The army had accused them of having links to RAW and labelled them as terrorists. However, these baseless allegations were debunked, revealing that the victims were, in fact, innocent farmers.

7 Bulleh Shah, an 18th century poet, is revered for his spiritually rich poetry. It is celebrated in South Asia for its profound impact on Punjabi and Sufi literature, promoting inclusivity and spiritual introspection.

8 This was the title of a study circle organized by Feminist Students’ Collective.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by University of Massachusetts Amherst: [grant no Graduate School Fieldwork Grant].

Notes on contributors

Mariam P. Sheikh

Mariam Parvez Sheikh is a Ph.D. candidate at the College of Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. Her current research focuses on how young students in Pakistan’s higher education produce alternative knowledge as they articulate various struggles, including climate justice, feminism, and anti-capitalism. In doing so, it examines how they expose gender, ethnic and class inequities through their struggle for social justice. She holds a master’s in Education and International Development from University College London (UCL), United Kingdom and a BSc. Hons. in Economics and Political Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).