After a short span of achieving statehood on basis of religious identity, the Bengali Muslims red... more After a short span of achieving statehood on basis of religious identity, the Bengali Muslims redefined their identity and once again demanded a separate state on basis of linguistic identity. Hobsbawm believe that identity formation in terms of nationhood is a result of deliberate ideological engineering. Economic factors serve as tangible signposts to cultural subjugation. Though many historians owe the Bengali nationalism and claims of statehood to linguistic and cultural difference that proved detrimental for state and nation making in pre 1971 Pakistan, the prime argument of this paper is that nationalist discourse is a discursive formation and a sort of language game rooted in material socio economic phenomenon of inequality and disparity. The concept of inequality and disparity essentially employ that a binary exists, and a group is feeling excluded, marginalized and at disadvantageous position in respect to some other group. The feeling of victimhood is at base of the nationalist movements and (re)definition of identity. Employing the concept of Subaltern Realism given by Mohammed Ayoob and the toolkit of Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, and taking discourse as a combination of material and discursive formations, influencing human subjectivities and conditions of existence; the paper will examine the material economic conditions of existence in pre 1971 Pakistani federation and discursive responses as claims of self-determination and separatist nationalism. One of the key findings of paper is that ethnic Bengali nationalism was a derivative phenomenon of economic exclusion and uneven development.
Was the liberation movement really for liberation? Did the nationalist movements betray the multi... more Was the liberation movement really for liberation? Did the nationalist movements betray the multitudes, the common of the society? Was the liberation of South Asia only a shift of minorities (from native to national minority) and unequal dynamics of power ('Strongmen' ruling the weak)? Almost every nation state shares the same attributes. The Empire's colonists and native are the nation state's national majority and national minority, Mamdani (2020) argued. The study uses Mamdani's theoretical framework of nation state to understand the plight of India's national minorities. Minorities of the nation state are struggling to belong and find a space of identity in the land of their ancestors. Mamdani, through the example of Apartheid South Africa, proposes that nation state's
The United States of America emerged as a superpower after
the Second World War with a proclaimed... more The United States of America emerged as a superpower after the Second World War with a proclaimed liberal ideology and a will to global dominance. For this purpose, USA employed not only military might to control and assert influence on its allies but also soft power and subtle means of culture at its disposal. Hence the US by means of military, culture and economy emerged as a hegemonic power at the end of the cold war. The paper aims to take an overview of the US military presence across the continents. The United States is leader of military coalition of powerful states. The USA have approximately 750 military bases with instalments in 80 nations and its major ally the United Kingdom has 145. Its present-day contenders Russia and China are way behind the USA and other states of NATO as Russia has 36 and China has so far one military base in Djibouti at Horn of Africa. These military bases serve the economic purpose as well and provides safe, protected passage to trade ships carrying goods across the globe; as free trade is an important component of a world order conceived with liberal ideology. Though critics of the global liberal order perceive it as the economic dominance of developed states and trade as a means of exploitation, with a mask of liberty, freedom, individualism and free marketing. Besides US military and economic power in the guise of Liberalism, another contributing factor of US hegemony is culture. US through cultural lebensraum and soft power of its consumer products and Hollywood movies create consent across the globe and presents it as a just power not only trading but also protecting humanity from a multitude of threats. By taking an overview of US military, economic and cultural lebensraum, the paper aims to answer how US military preponderance across continents and states along with economic and cultural powers gives it a hegemonic status in the world. Employing content analysis on secondary data one of the major findings of the paper is that despite claims of waning US and rising China, the claim is a far cry not rooted in reality and United States actions are derived by hegemonic interest and are cloaked in the guise of liberalism.
The research aims to examine the democratic ideals ofparticipatory, inclusive democracy with &quo... more The research aims to examine the democratic ideals ofparticipatory, inclusive democracy with "strong public" andclear means of interest articulation, in contrast to transitional, "delegativedemocracy," with local and national dynasties and the marginalized public.Employing the concept given by John Dewy, Jurgen Habermas, NancyFraser, Samuel P. Huntington, Takis Fotopoulos, the study is analytical andevaluative in nature, measuring the gap between theory and practice. Theprime area of concern is Pakistan, and the study is meant to answer "why"questions about the pendulum movement from authoritarian military ruleand democratic dispensations; and the inability of the delegatedtransitional democracy of Pakistan to transform into a consolidateddemocratic system. The supposition of the study is that though democraticnorms and awareness of people's interests are present even in the far-offperipheral regions of Pakistan yet in the presence of strong local d...
Eurocentric imperialism incorporated the non-European geographical region in the economic and pol... more Eurocentric imperialism incorporated the non-European geographical region in the economic and political milieu of Europe and made the world a global whole. To Mitchel Foucault, the process started with endo-colonization of European people and advent of rational governance exercises experimented first in European states and later exported to non-western regions. The study aims to analyze the different outcomes of European governmentality in European core and non-European periphery and changing subjectivities and cognitions in non-European world with ruptures accompanied by European modernity. The theoretical frame and conceptual toolkit of Archaeology/Genealogy, Governmentality, Power/knowledge etc. are borrowed from Michel Foucault the postmodern historian of ideas. For analytical purpose, the concept of Archeological historicity is linked with World System approach as employed by Lenin and Immanuel Wallerstein. The analytical scheme is to describe events in longue durée from sixtee...
Gender digital divide" is the gap existing between men and women regarding access to information ... more Gender digital divide" is the gap existing between men and women regarding access to information and communication technologies, usage of internet, availability of adequate and exact information, access of have or have not, power of does or does not. This gap exists between people who are information literate or not. There are many factors causing differentiation like as, provision of computers and other digital accessories towards modern era techniques to males not females, societal cultural barriers and attitudes, economic factors, gender differences, racial segregation, male dominancy, social status, physical disability, unequal education, access to internet, gender differences, socialization of girls and boys, and many more. Ratio of GDD (Gender Digital Divide) is different among developed and developing countries, Asia and Europe stay among those countries that have higher access of ICT, and mostly younger women have greater access to ICT as compared to older ones. Primary socialization of girls and boys play an important role in gap of ICT among males and females, as many parents teach their girls to avoid operative skills and subjects like mathematics, Computer sciences and many more. Thus, females consider themselves vulnerable towards such activities which demand equal participation with males. Another big reason behind this gap is growing internet pornography and attaining information of sexual predators about girls, so many women feel shy to use internet. Women spend less time on computer as compared to males due to societal and stereotypical barriers which consider women only a career of home not a career making element. GDD ratio exists higher among rural women as compared to the urban as in urban societies women have access towards ICT due to their education, but situation is quite different among rural areas where women have no ICT access or if they may get access then they don't know how to operate these devices accurately. As men consider women subordinate in every field and they think women should not have such liberties, because by virtue of that; they will become aware of their legal rights and there will create a feeling of danger to the so-called honor of male gender, which is considered in hand of women. In the modern era, it has been proven by the females that; they can stand at distinguish position among the males as it is evident from competition exams where little volume of males is entering as compared to females.
Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico, alternat... more Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico, alternativamente resignificadas como realpolitik, realismo o el sistema de equilibrio de poder. Aunque este abordaje provee las normas del comportamiento de los estados desde la creación del sistema estatal moderno, está sujeto a un criticismo severo por parte de sus teóricos clásicos, como E. H. Carr, Hans J. Morgenthau, entre otros, así como por parte de las relaciones internacionales críticas que se desarrollan en el norte global, que ven el dilema de seguridad como amenaza a la paz internacional. No obstante, las críticas de estos críticos del Norte son incapaces de proveer una alternativa a las políticas de poder. En la atmósfera del debate pospositivista, emergieron ambas teorías, a saber, el realismo subalterno, y el periférico, como voces de disenso radicado en experiencias del Sur global que proveen una revisión para basar las presunciones del abordaje realista. Los teóricos Mohammed Ay...
The poetic approach to constructing social reality is a significant source of reflection on the l... more The poetic approach to constructing social reality is a significant source of reflection on the livedexperience of voiceless ordinary men and women. Poetic expression becomes a source of power andresistance expressed through language. Social reality expressed in poetry constructs a vision of historybeyond time. The civilizational heritage of Multan dates back to the time of Rag Ved. The City's richesattracted many conquerors, subdued but never defeated. As Poet himself is the product of land andculture, Riffat Abbas's poetry expresses all the imprints that land has carved on his Cognition. His poetryrepresents the phenomena of continuity and preservation of cultural heritage in the face of all historicalupheavals. The paper aims to analyze the social reality constructed in Riffat Abbas's poetry opting forthe method of discourse analysis given by Mitchel Foucault to study the progressive trends on socialattributes, societal relations, and socio-political system.
Colonialism was a rupture in history of colonial societies where a linear historicist dimension o... more Colonialism was a rupture in history of colonial societies where a linear historicist dimension of time and progress was introduced as a new episteme in colonial space. Colonizers not only occupied the territory but also possessed the minds of colonized who perceived themselves according to Looking Glass of Civilization. (Cooley) During the mirror stage (Flax) dependent development of a new identity for the colonized self took place in gaze of M/Other (the West). West sometimes defined the subject races as enemy of values (Fanon) and sometimes as a Child. (Nandy) Colonial relations were not simple master-slave relations where power was exercised from the top; rather these relations were dialectical in nature where both were synthesized in a new formation. In process not only the colonized were reshaped according to Western values but a homogenous west was also discursively constructed marginalizing many aspects of Western civilization. Resistance discourses also discursively constru...
Advocates of Neoliberalism contend for minimum state role in economic domains leaving the margina... more Advocates of Neoliberalism contend for minimum state role in economic domains leaving the marginalized strata’s, classes and “second” gender (female) concerned. On the other hand, in tradition oriented societies state efforts to engineer social relations are contested by the custodians of tradition. In Neoliberal age women participation in public sphere is the need of time. Women entery in economic sphere makes them prone to workplace structural violence and multiple roles strain. Hence, an active state role to protect the weak, underdeveloped and deprived “Sex”, and to create equitable gender roles in both private and public aspects of life is required. The paper reflects on vital questions about state role from the perspective of gender. To what extent state can penetrate in lived experience of women beings to protect them in work and family spaces from male beings (Feminist theorists like Charlotte Hooper contest the universal notion of “human” and divides them into male and fema...
The paper is an attempt to provide a mode of interpreting the modern world, operating as a system... more The paper is an attempt to provide a mode of interpreting the modern world, operating as a system/singularity based on functional distribution of world space in core, semi, periphery, and periphery. The account is based on Foucault concept of “Archaeology”, i.e. the history of Present. Although Foucault believes that the history written using Archaeology as method will be different from traditional, total, linear, and deterministic treatises of mega history, yet his “General History”, is also rooted in Structuralism. Hence Foucault develops an ambivalent relation with Marx. On the other hand the project of histoire totale of Annales, materialized by Immanuel Wallerstein in form of World-Systems theory is Marxist in origin, but deviate from Marxism/Structuralism on conception of longue dure’e or “plural times”, a history unfolding in linear dimension but with difference in pace at multitude of spaces. The present analysis will combine the two mutually coherent paradigms of critical t...
The paper aims to seek the effects of tourism on biodiversity (Variety of plants and animals life... more The paper aims to seek the effects of tourism on biodiversity (Variety of plants and animals life in a particular habitat) of Northern Areas of Pakistan considered as visitor’s paradise filled with colors of nature. It is believed that tourism leads to economic growth of a specific region, with spillover effect on national economy. Tourist industry needs massive arrangements like housing, transportation and infrastructural development; with a negative bearing on environment in form deforestation, air pollution, water pollution, land erosion and other ecological losses. An obvious consequence of tourist movement is influx of consumer goods produced in industrial towns; that will act as catalyst for polluting environment in form of plastic, heavy metals (A metal of relatively high density) and CFC’s (Chlorofluorocarbons: hazardous materials for nature). Furthermore inclusion in net of national economy serves as a detriment of local small scale village based industries. The paper aims ...
The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. W... more The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. While manufacturing legitimizing consent for consumerism, media narratives delegitimize the old patterns of existence as well by penetrating deep in cognition and creating anomalous desires that refuse to take cultural rigidities as given. Media screens provide visual (re)presentation of real places and social arrangements; with the aim to overturn them with conceived mirror images of perfect. These narratives are endowed with the power to create new self, territorialized in heterotopias of the screen. The new personifications are contested by pious adherents of cultural continuity. By opting for the technique of Critical Discourse Analysis; paper aims to revisit the discourses of women empowerment and dependency, in a Hindi commercial movie Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Badrinaths bride) (2017), and lifestyle advertisements of Fair & Lovely (Fairness Cream) (2002-2017) telecasted across South Asia, and an android phone Q Mobile (2016) in Pakistan.
Absolutism vs. Limited Government: A Genealogical Overview of Ruptures and Continuity in Catalan Nationalist Struggle, 2021
Nationalist movements and civil wars of national (in)cohesion are recurring patterns in history o... more Nationalist movements and civil wars of national (in)cohesion are recurring patterns in history of Spain. Since its inception in 1469, after the Royal marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand and merger of their states in Spanish union;, the state is facing the paradox of evolving a political system for culturally diverse sub-national groups like Basque, Galician and Catalan. One recent event of (in)cohesion is declaration of direct rule by Spanish Senate in response to Catalan parliament declaration of independence on 27 th October 2017.
Return of Meta-Narrative or End of Great Debate: Reflections on Complex International Relations Theory Traversing the Debates and Discourses of Social Sciences, 2020
The paper aims to trace the genealogy of debates and discourses in the field of Social Science wi... more The paper aims to trace the genealogy of debates and discourses in the field of Social Science with special emphasis on discipline defining debates in International Relations. Briefly discussing the debates of collective and individual; universal and particular going on in various disciplines of Social Sciences, the prime focus of study will be the most recent trends and approaches for the study of International Relations; from post-positivist epistemological and ontological concerns and importance of standpoint to Post-Post Positivist notion of Complexity; and need to borrow and incorporate the methods of Natural, Physical and Life Sciences to understand the multifaceted reality of the ever-changing and dynamic social world.
In the Post-independence years, state of Pakistan like other post-independent states faced the di... more In the Post-independence years, state of Pakistan like other post-independent states faced the dilemma of making sense of their nationhood and also converting the national state into a nation-state. The paper aims to provide a genealogical perspective of nationalist discourse(s) at play in Indian subcontinent and post-independence Pakistan. The paper proposes that state- nationalism in Pakistan has been a ‘derivative’ phenomenon that not only was devised to provide raison ď état to the state but to also meet the needs of ruling elites of Pakistan collaborating and protecting the interests of international hegemons.
From State to Human Security: Paradigm Shift in Security Theorizing and Problematic of Weak State, 2019
Post-Cold War years has witnessed many shifts, breaks and rupture in theorizing about the state, ... more Post-Cold War years has witnessed many shifts, breaks and rupture in theorizing about the state, security, and state responsibilities. Previously state was considered to be a totality; the home of a nation with the prime national objective of providing security from threats coming from outside international anarchy and economic development. As Cold War descended into history, so were the discursive formations associated with that particular episteme and in a new era the established concepts related to state and its responsibilities i.e. security and development are contested. On one side liberal Metanarrative is telling the tale of State as a concept of bygone years, and insisting on rolling back state roles; while the other side of stereo is lamenting on postcolonial state's weakness and failure to deliver promised social contract to their populace. Hence the State fragility is considered to be a threat for the peaceful working of neoliberal world order. The paper aims to deconstruct Cold War discursivities about security and development; cast a gaze on emergent shifts in security development literature with a shift in referent of security from state to individual; as well as the perceived role of state with paradigm shift to human security and human development, at the same time finding what caused the state failure. Though, the
The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. W... more The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. While manufacturing legitimizing consent for consumerism, media narratives delegitimize the old patterns of existence as well by penetrating deep in cognition and creating anomalous desires that refuse to take cultural rigidities as given. Media screens provide visual (re)presentation of real places and social arrangements; with the aim to overturn them with conceived mirror images of perfection. These narratives are endowed with the power to create a new self, territorialized in heterotopias of the screen. The new personifications are contested by “pious” adherents of cultural continuity. By opting for the technique of Critical Discourse Analysis; paper aims to revisit the discourses of women empowerment and dependency, in a Hindi commercial movie “Badrinath Ki Dulhania” (Badrinath’s bride) (2017), and lifestyle advertisements of Fair & Lovely (Fairness Cream) (2002-2017) telecasted across South Asia, and an android phone Q Mobile (2016) in Pakistan.
The paper aims to revisit the priori assumptions of state centric paradigm alternatively signifie... more The paper aims to revisit the priori assumptions of state centric paradigm alternatively signified as realpolitik, Realism or balance of power system. Though the approach is providing for the norms of state behavior since inception of modern state system, it is subjected to severe criticism by the classical theorists of the approach like E.H. Carr, Hans J. Morgenthau etc., as well as from critical IR developing in global north; for causing security dilemma as threat to international peace. Despite the critique these northern critics are unable to provide an alternative to power politics. In atmosphere of post-positivist debate the two theories emerged i.e., Subaltern Realism and RP (Realismo Periférico) as voices of dissent; rooted in experiences of global south providing a revision to base assumption of Realist approach. The two theorists, i.e., Mohammed Ayoob and Carlos Escudé extended the paradigmatic assumptions of South Asian Subaltern Studies and Latin American ECLA-Prebisch school (dependencia) in domain of International Relation. The paper will provide an overview of security dilemma experienced by the states of global south based on the critical appraisal of two theories at the same time contextualizing the Peripheral-Subaltern Realism within main stream Realist approaches of Defensive and Offensive Structural Realism. Keywords: Realism, Subaltern-Peripheral Realism, Global South. STATE-CENTRIC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY AND PARADOX OF SECURITY FOR GLOBAL SOUTH (ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA). CRITICAL APPRAISAL BY SUBALTERN-PERIPHERAL REALISTS (MOHAMMED AYOOB & CARLOS ESCUDÉ) | Ravi
Resumen: Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico,... more Resumen: Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico, alternativamente resignificadas como realpolitik, realismo o el sistema de equilibrio de poder. Aunque este abordaje provee las normas del comportamiento de los estados desde la creación del sistema estatal moderno, está sujeto a un criticismo severo por parte de sus teóricos clásicos, como E. H. Carr, Hans
After a short span of achieving statehood on basis of religious identity, the Bengali Muslims red... more After a short span of achieving statehood on basis of religious identity, the Bengali Muslims redefined their identity and once again demanded a separate state on basis of linguistic identity. Hobsbawm believe that identity formation in terms of nationhood is a result of deliberate ideological engineering. Economic factors serve as tangible signposts to cultural subjugation. Though many historians owe the Bengali nationalism and claims of statehood to linguistic and cultural difference that proved detrimental for state and nation making in pre 1971 Pakistan, the prime argument of this paper is that nationalist discourse is a discursive formation and a sort of language game rooted in material socio economic phenomenon of inequality and disparity. The concept of inequality and disparity essentially employ that a binary exists, and a group is feeling excluded, marginalized and at disadvantageous position in respect to some other group. The feeling of victimhood is at base of the nationalist movements and (re)definition of identity. Employing the concept of Subaltern Realism given by Mohammed Ayoob and the toolkit of Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, and taking discourse as a combination of material and discursive formations, influencing human subjectivities and conditions of existence; the paper will examine the material economic conditions of existence in pre 1971 Pakistani federation and discursive responses as claims of self-determination and separatist nationalism. One of the key findings of paper is that ethnic Bengali nationalism was a derivative phenomenon of economic exclusion and uneven development.
Was the liberation movement really for liberation? Did the nationalist movements betray the multi... more Was the liberation movement really for liberation? Did the nationalist movements betray the multitudes, the common of the society? Was the liberation of South Asia only a shift of minorities (from native to national minority) and unequal dynamics of power ('Strongmen' ruling the weak)? Almost every nation state shares the same attributes. The Empire's colonists and native are the nation state's national majority and national minority, Mamdani (2020) argued. The study uses Mamdani's theoretical framework of nation state to understand the plight of India's national minorities. Minorities of the nation state are struggling to belong and find a space of identity in the land of their ancestors. Mamdani, through the example of Apartheid South Africa, proposes that nation state's
The United States of America emerged as a superpower after
the Second World War with a proclaimed... more The United States of America emerged as a superpower after the Second World War with a proclaimed liberal ideology and a will to global dominance. For this purpose, USA employed not only military might to control and assert influence on its allies but also soft power and subtle means of culture at its disposal. Hence the US by means of military, culture and economy emerged as a hegemonic power at the end of the cold war. The paper aims to take an overview of the US military presence across the continents. The United States is leader of military coalition of powerful states. The USA have approximately 750 military bases with instalments in 80 nations and its major ally the United Kingdom has 145. Its present-day contenders Russia and China are way behind the USA and other states of NATO as Russia has 36 and China has so far one military base in Djibouti at Horn of Africa. These military bases serve the economic purpose as well and provides safe, protected passage to trade ships carrying goods across the globe; as free trade is an important component of a world order conceived with liberal ideology. Though critics of the global liberal order perceive it as the economic dominance of developed states and trade as a means of exploitation, with a mask of liberty, freedom, individualism and free marketing. Besides US military and economic power in the guise of Liberalism, another contributing factor of US hegemony is culture. US through cultural lebensraum and soft power of its consumer products and Hollywood movies create consent across the globe and presents it as a just power not only trading but also protecting humanity from a multitude of threats. By taking an overview of US military, economic and cultural lebensraum, the paper aims to answer how US military preponderance across continents and states along with economic and cultural powers gives it a hegemonic status in the world. Employing content analysis on secondary data one of the major findings of the paper is that despite claims of waning US and rising China, the claim is a far cry not rooted in reality and United States actions are derived by hegemonic interest and are cloaked in the guise of liberalism.
The research aims to examine the democratic ideals ofparticipatory, inclusive democracy with &quo... more The research aims to examine the democratic ideals ofparticipatory, inclusive democracy with "strong public" andclear means of interest articulation, in contrast to transitional, "delegativedemocracy," with local and national dynasties and the marginalized public.Employing the concept given by John Dewy, Jurgen Habermas, NancyFraser, Samuel P. Huntington, Takis Fotopoulos, the study is analytical andevaluative in nature, measuring the gap between theory and practice. Theprime area of concern is Pakistan, and the study is meant to answer "why"questions about the pendulum movement from authoritarian military ruleand democratic dispensations; and the inability of the delegatedtransitional democracy of Pakistan to transform into a consolidateddemocratic system. The supposition of the study is that though democraticnorms and awareness of people's interests are present even in the far-offperipheral regions of Pakistan yet in the presence of strong local d...
Eurocentric imperialism incorporated the non-European geographical region in the economic and pol... more Eurocentric imperialism incorporated the non-European geographical region in the economic and political milieu of Europe and made the world a global whole. To Mitchel Foucault, the process started with endo-colonization of European people and advent of rational governance exercises experimented first in European states and later exported to non-western regions. The study aims to analyze the different outcomes of European governmentality in European core and non-European periphery and changing subjectivities and cognitions in non-European world with ruptures accompanied by European modernity. The theoretical frame and conceptual toolkit of Archaeology/Genealogy, Governmentality, Power/knowledge etc. are borrowed from Michel Foucault the postmodern historian of ideas. For analytical purpose, the concept of Archeological historicity is linked with World System approach as employed by Lenin and Immanuel Wallerstein. The analytical scheme is to describe events in longue durée from sixtee...
Gender digital divide" is the gap existing between men and women regarding access to information ... more Gender digital divide" is the gap existing between men and women regarding access to information and communication technologies, usage of internet, availability of adequate and exact information, access of have or have not, power of does or does not. This gap exists between people who are information literate or not. There are many factors causing differentiation like as, provision of computers and other digital accessories towards modern era techniques to males not females, societal cultural barriers and attitudes, economic factors, gender differences, racial segregation, male dominancy, social status, physical disability, unequal education, access to internet, gender differences, socialization of girls and boys, and many more. Ratio of GDD (Gender Digital Divide) is different among developed and developing countries, Asia and Europe stay among those countries that have higher access of ICT, and mostly younger women have greater access to ICT as compared to older ones. Primary socialization of girls and boys play an important role in gap of ICT among males and females, as many parents teach their girls to avoid operative skills and subjects like mathematics, Computer sciences and many more. Thus, females consider themselves vulnerable towards such activities which demand equal participation with males. Another big reason behind this gap is growing internet pornography and attaining information of sexual predators about girls, so many women feel shy to use internet. Women spend less time on computer as compared to males due to societal and stereotypical barriers which consider women only a career of home not a career making element. GDD ratio exists higher among rural women as compared to the urban as in urban societies women have access towards ICT due to their education, but situation is quite different among rural areas where women have no ICT access or if they may get access then they don't know how to operate these devices accurately. As men consider women subordinate in every field and they think women should not have such liberties, because by virtue of that; they will become aware of their legal rights and there will create a feeling of danger to the so-called honor of male gender, which is considered in hand of women. In the modern era, it has been proven by the females that; they can stand at distinguish position among the males as it is evident from competition exams where little volume of males is entering as compared to females.
Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico, alternat... more Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico, alternativamente resignificadas como realpolitik, realismo o el sistema de equilibrio de poder. Aunque este abordaje provee las normas del comportamiento de los estados desde la creación del sistema estatal moderno, está sujeto a un criticismo severo por parte de sus teóricos clásicos, como E. H. Carr, Hans J. Morgenthau, entre otros, así como por parte de las relaciones internacionales críticas que se desarrollan en el norte global, que ven el dilema de seguridad como amenaza a la paz internacional. No obstante, las críticas de estos críticos del Norte son incapaces de proveer una alternativa a las políticas de poder. En la atmósfera del debate pospositivista, emergieron ambas teorías, a saber, el realismo subalterno, y el periférico, como voces de disenso radicado en experiencias del Sur global que proveen una revisión para basar las presunciones del abordaje realista. Los teóricos Mohammed Ay...
The poetic approach to constructing social reality is a significant source of reflection on the l... more The poetic approach to constructing social reality is a significant source of reflection on the livedexperience of voiceless ordinary men and women. Poetic expression becomes a source of power andresistance expressed through language. Social reality expressed in poetry constructs a vision of historybeyond time. The civilizational heritage of Multan dates back to the time of Rag Ved. The City's richesattracted many conquerors, subdued but never defeated. As Poet himself is the product of land andculture, Riffat Abbas's poetry expresses all the imprints that land has carved on his Cognition. His poetryrepresents the phenomena of continuity and preservation of cultural heritage in the face of all historicalupheavals. The paper aims to analyze the social reality constructed in Riffat Abbas's poetry opting forthe method of discourse analysis given by Mitchel Foucault to study the progressive trends on socialattributes, societal relations, and socio-political system.
Colonialism was a rupture in history of colonial societies where a linear historicist dimension o... more Colonialism was a rupture in history of colonial societies where a linear historicist dimension of time and progress was introduced as a new episteme in colonial space. Colonizers not only occupied the territory but also possessed the minds of colonized who perceived themselves according to Looking Glass of Civilization. (Cooley) During the mirror stage (Flax) dependent development of a new identity for the colonized self took place in gaze of M/Other (the West). West sometimes defined the subject races as enemy of values (Fanon) and sometimes as a Child. (Nandy) Colonial relations were not simple master-slave relations where power was exercised from the top; rather these relations were dialectical in nature where both were synthesized in a new formation. In process not only the colonized were reshaped according to Western values but a homogenous west was also discursively constructed marginalizing many aspects of Western civilization. Resistance discourses also discursively constru...
Advocates of Neoliberalism contend for minimum state role in economic domains leaving the margina... more Advocates of Neoliberalism contend for minimum state role in economic domains leaving the marginalized strata’s, classes and “second” gender (female) concerned. On the other hand, in tradition oriented societies state efforts to engineer social relations are contested by the custodians of tradition. In Neoliberal age women participation in public sphere is the need of time. Women entery in economic sphere makes them prone to workplace structural violence and multiple roles strain. Hence, an active state role to protect the weak, underdeveloped and deprived “Sex”, and to create equitable gender roles in both private and public aspects of life is required. The paper reflects on vital questions about state role from the perspective of gender. To what extent state can penetrate in lived experience of women beings to protect them in work and family spaces from male beings (Feminist theorists like Charlotte Hooper contest the universal notion of “human” and divides them into male and fema...
The paper is an attempt to provide a mode of interpreting the modern world, operating as a system... more The paper is an attempt to provide a mode of interpreting the modern world, operating as a system/singularity based on functional distribution of world space in core, semi, periphery, and periphery. The account is based on Foucault concept of “Archaeology”, i.e. the history of Present. Although Foucault believes that the history written using Archaeology as method will be different from traditional, total, linear, and deterministic treatises of mega history, yet his “General History”, is also rooted in Structuralism. Hence Foucault develops an ambivalent relation with Marx. On the other hand the project of histoire totale of Annales, materialized by Immanuel Wallerstein in form of World-Systems theory is Marxist in origin, but deviate from Marxism/Structuralism on conception of longue dure’e or “plural times”, a history unfolding in linear dimension but with difference in pace at multitude of spaces. The present analysis will combine the two mutually coherent paradigms of critical t...
The paper aims to seek the effects of tourism on biodiversity (Variety of plants and animals life... more The paper aims to seek the effects of tourism on biodiversity (Variety of plants and animals life in a particular habitat) of Northern Areas of Pakistan considered as visitor’s paradise filled with colors of nature. It is believed that tourism leads to economic growth of a specific region, with spillover effect on national economy. Tourist industry needs massive arrangements like housing, transportation and infrastructural development; with a negative bearing on environment in form deforestation, air pollution, water pollution, land erosion and other ecological losses. An obvious consequence of tourist movement is influx of consumer goods produced in industrial towns; that will act as catalyst for polluting environment in form of plastic, heavy metals (A metal of relatively high density) and CFC’s (Chlorofluorocarbons: hazardous materials for nature). Furthermore inclusion in net of national economy serves as a detriment of local small scale village based industries. The paper aims ...
The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. W... more The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. While manufacturing legitimizing consent for consumerism, media narratives delegitimize the old patterns of existence as well by penetrating deep in cognition and creating anomalous desires that refuse to take cultural rigidities as given. Media screens provide visual (re)presentation of real places and social arrangements; with the aim to overturn them with conceived mirror images of perfect. These narratives are endowed with the power to create new self, territorialized in heterotopias of the screen. The new personifications are contested by pious adherents of cultural continuity. By opting for the technique of Critical Discourse Analysis; paper aims to revisit the discourses of women empowerment and dependency, in a Hindi commercial movie Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Badrinaths bride) (2017), and lifestyle advertisements of Fair & Lovely (Fairness Cream) (2002-2017) telecasted across South Asia, and an android phone Q Mobile (2016) in Pakistan.
Absolutism vs. Limited Government: A Genealogical Overview of Ruptures and Continuity in Catalan Nationalist Struggle, 2021
Nationalist movements and civil wars of national (in)cohesion are recurring patterns in history o... more Nationalist movements and civil wars of national (in)cohesion are recurring patterns in history of Spain. Since its inception in 1469, after the Royal marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand and merger of their states in Spanish union;, the state is facing the paradox of evolving a political system for culturally diverse sub-national groups like Basque, Galician and Catalan. One recent event of (in)cohesion is declaration of direct rule by Spanish Senate in response to Catalan parliament declaration of independence on 27 th October 2017.
Return of Meta-Narrative or End of Great Debate: Reflections on Complex International Relations Theory Traversing the Debates and Discourses of Social Sciences, 2020
The paper aims to trace the genealogy of debates and discourses in the field of Social Science wi... more The paper aims to trace the genealogy of debates and discourses in the field of Social Science with special emphasis on discipline defining debates in International Relations. Briefly discussing the debates of collective and individual; universal and particular going on in various disciplines of Social Sciences, the prime focus of study will be the most recent trends and approaches for the study of International Relations; from post-positivist epistemological and ontological concerns and importance of standpoint to Post-Post Positivist notion of Complexity; and need to borrow and incorporate the methods of Natural, Physical and Life Sciences to understand the multifaceted reality of the ever-changing and dynamic social world.
In the Post-independence years, state of Pakistan like other post-independent states faced the di... more In the Post-independence years, state of Pakistan like other post-independent states faced the dilemma of making sense of their nationhood and also converting the national state into a nation-state. The paper aims to provide a genealogical perspective of nationalist discourse(s) at play in Indian subcontinent and post-independence Pakistan. The paper proposes that state- nationalism in Pakistan has been a ‘derivative’ phenomenon that not only was devised to provide raison ď état to the state but to also meet the needs of ruling elites of Pakistan collaborating and protecting the interests of international hegemons.
From State to Human Security: Paradigm Shift in Security Theorizing and Problematic of Weak State, 2019
Post-Cold War years has witnessed many shifts, breaks and rupture in theorizing about the state, ... more Post-Cold War years has witnessed many shifts, breaks and rupture in theorizing about the state, security, and state responsibilities. Previously state was considered to be a totality; the home of a nation with the prime national objective of providing security from threats coming from outside international anarchy and economic development. As Cold War descended into history, so were the discursive formations associated with that particular episteme and in a new era the established concepts related to state and its responsibilities i.e. security and development are contested. On one side liberal Metanarrative is telling the tale of State as a concept of bygone years, and insisting on rolling back state roles; while the other side of stereo is lamenting on postcolonial state's weakness and failure to deliver promised social contract to their populace. Hence the State fragility is considered to be a threat for the peaceful working of neoliberal world order. The paper aims to deconstruct Cold War discursivities about security and development; cast a gaze on emergent shifts in security development literature with a shift in referent of security from state to individual; as well as the perceived role of state with paradigm shift to human security and human development, at the same time finding what caused the state failure. Though, the
The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. W... more The argument of the paper is that media narratives serve the dual function of (de)legitimation. While manufacturing legitimizing consent for consumerism, media narratives delegitimize the old patterns of existence as well by penetrating deep in cognition and creating anomalous desires that refuse to take cultural rigidities as given. Media screens provide visual (re)presentation of real places and social arrangements; with the aim to overturn them with conceived mirror images of perfection. These narratives are endowed with the power to create a new self, territorialized in heterotopias of the screen. The new personifications are contested by “pious” adherents of cultural continuity. By opting for the technique of Critical Discourse Analysis; paper aims to revisit the discourses of women empowerment and dependency, in a Hindi commercial movie “Badrinath Ki Dulhania” (Badrinath’s bride) (2017), and lifestyle advertisements of Fair & Lovely (Fairness Cream) (2002-2017) telecasted across South Asia, and an android phone Q Mobile (2016) in Pakistan.
The paper aims to revisit the priori assumptions of state centric paradigm alternatively signifie... more The paper aims to revisit the priori assumptions of state centric paradigm alternatively signified as realpolitik, Realism or balance of power system. Though the approach is providing for the norms of state behavior since inception of modern state system, it is subjected to severe criticism by the classical theorists of the approach like E.H. Carr, Hans J. Morgenthau etc., as well as from critical IR developing in global north; for causing security dilemma as threat to international peace. Despite the critique these northern critics are unable to provide an alternative to power politics. In atmosphere of post-positivist debate the two theories emerged i.e., Subaltern Realism and RP (Realismo Periférico) as voices of dissent; rooted in experiences of global south providing a revision to base assumption of Realist approach. The two theorists, i.e., Mohammed Ayoob and Carlos Escudé extended the paradigmatic assumptions of South Asian Subaltern Studies and Latin American ECLA-Prebisch school (dependencia) in domain of International Relation. The paper will provide an overview of security dilemma experienced by the states of global south based on the critical appraisal of two theories at the same time contextualizing the Peripheral-Subaltern Realism within main stream Realist approaches of Defensive and Offensive Structural Realism. Keywords: Realism, Subaltern-Peripheral Realism, Global South. STATE-CENTRIC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY AND PARADOX OF SECURITY FOR GLOBAL SOUTH (ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA). CRITICAL APPRAISAL BY SUBALTERN-PERIPHERAL REALISTS (MOHAMMED AYOOB & CARLOS ESCUDÉ) | Ravi
Resumen: Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico,... more Resumen: Este artículo apunta a revisitar las presunciones a priori del paradigma estadocéntrico, alternativamente resignificadas como realpolitik, realismo o el sistema de equilibrio de poder. Aunque este abordaje provee las normas del comportamiento de los estados desde la creación del sistema estatal moderno, está sujeto a un criticismo severo por parte de sus teóricos clásicos, como E. H. Carr, Hans
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya , 2018
The paper aims to seek the effects of tourism on biodiversity of Northern Areas of Pakistan cons... more The paper aims to seek the effects of tourism on biodiversity of Northern Areas of Pakistan considered as visitor’s paradise filled with colors of nature. It is believed that tourism leads to economic growth of a specific region, with spillover effect on national economy. Tourist industry needs massive arrangements like housing, transportation and infrastructural development; with a negative bearing on environment in form deforestation, air pollution, water pollution, land erosion and other ecological losses. An obvious consequence of tourist movement is influx of consumer goods produced in industrial towns; that will act as catalyst for polluting environment in form of plastic, heavy metals and CFC’s . Furthermore inclusion in net of national economy serves as a detriment of local small scale village based industries. The paper aims to analyze the impacts generated by a boom in tourist industry on natural, social and economic ecology of northern areas of Pakistan. The analytical method is opted to evaluate environmental hazards resulting from boom in tourism. The technique of SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis is employed to build the case (for and against) tourism in a bio-friendly natural habitat i.e. the valley of Hunza. The key finding of research after site visits in 2013 and 2018 is that cost of tourism in Hunza is deforestation, soil erosion, melting of glaciers, and destruction of local habitat. But still hope is there as local initiatives are being taken in form of organic farming to preserve local ecology. As almost whole of Northern Areas of Pakistan are facing similar threats, it is suggested that example of Hunza can be replicated elsewhere with similar threats and challenges.
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya , 2018
Advocates of Neoliberalism contend for minimum state role in economic domains leaving the margina... more Advocates of Neoliberalism contend for minimum state role in economic domains leaving the marginalized strata’s, classes and “second” gender (female) concerned. On the other hand, in tradition oriented societies state efforts to engineer social relations are contested by the custodians of tradition. In Neoliberal age women participation in public sphere is the need of time. Women entry in economic sphere makes them prone to workplace structural violence and multiple roles strain. Hence, an active state role to protect the weak, underdeveloped and deprived “Sex”, and to create equitable gender roles in both private and public aspects of life is required. The paper reflects on vital questions about state role from the perspective of gender. To what extent state can penetrate in lived experience of women beings to protect them in work and family spaces from male beings ; and influence and transform the most personal levels of gender relations; in context that gender roles are guarded and protected by the custodians of tradition? The study is normative in content and methodology of qualitative analysis is employed to critically evaluate the impact of state legislative reforms initiated by ‘Women Policy Agencies’ (national and provincial) on women lives. The technique of “Gap Analysis” is used to understand the gap between the intended and present scenarios. A core finding of the research is that Pakistani state is acting as custodian of women rights but state reforms are contested in society. State initiated reforms like empowerment bills and packages have stirred the status quo of tradition and practical steps are taken to remove gender inequality in private as well as public sphere. Though the study concludes that equity between genders is still a perceived utopia but state feminist policies can be considered as first step towards the ideal.
ream International Relations theory Realism emerged from the Latin American ECLA-Prebisch school ... more ream International Relations theory Realism emerged from the Latin American ECLA-Prebisch school (Dependencia) that enunciated the Center-Periphery paradigm; and Subaltern Studies School of South Asian Historian believing in history from below. The two par adigms are cornerstones of critical International Relations theory; emerging as response to hegemonic standpoint of Realism. Having firm these theorist are of the view that hegemonic discourse of Realism evolved and matured in Eurocentric world, and is deeply rooted in experience of Europe; that came of age due to trauma of Great Wars to the extent that cold war remained cold. It cannot serve as probl em solving guide for the post imperial world that serves as proxy for the hegemonic wars (cold war and war on terror) and make its space the battlefield for competing ideologies for the interest of power players. In initial phases of state making the other problem faced by these states are wars of national in-cohesion and irredentist interventions in neighborhood. These paradigms, having consensus on realist notion of state centrism and self-help repudiates from Neo-Realism and defines national interest in terms of economic security.
In International Relations Liberalism is considered to be an ideology rooted in Enlightenment ide... more In International Relations Liberalism is considered to be an ideology rooted in Enlightenment ideals of individualism; democracy; human rights; limited government based on social contract; and interdependent world order considered to be a necessary prerequisite of peace. But according to Mitchel Dean the idea on contrary is not a contractual bond between individual and state for promotion of human rights and spirit of wellbeing inherent in commercial pursuits of happiness. To him, liberalism is a form of bio-power relying on individualizing techniques that transform humans into wealth producing utilitarian beings, and totalizing procedures creating an interdependent world order tra nsforming the multitude of societies into a singularity of consumer global society. The paper is an attempt to trace the the impacts of liberal bio-politics in shaping polities, economies and societies; and converging them into components of singularity, i.e. an ordered world. The paper will not only employ the Foucauldian method of genealogy but also rely on Foucauldian nar rative of working of liberal governmentality from classical era of Adam Smith that created interdependent world order in age of colonialism to neo-liberalism of von Moses and Hayek responsible for present day globalization.
The media is associated in critical theory with cultural imperialism. Through discourses (de)legi... more The media is associated in critical theory with cultural imperialism. Through discourses (de)legitimated through media, norms of society are molded to construct consent for consumerism; making it a part of modern world system. The media narratives convey messages'; cutting across the geographical constraints. Cultural rigidities recede to create space for new choices. The media has (de)territorialized the self, and built consumer heterotopias; blending the acclaimed western universals with ethnocentric local cultures; creating hybrid selves. Media creates an ambivalent cultural space and also provides a looking glass to perceive society. According to Charles Horton Cooley, people shape their conception about self; based on their understanding of " other's " perception about them. Despite the negative connotations associated with Media discourses due to its links with hegemony, these can be alternatively viewed as transforming agents having positive impacts. It can play a central role in transforming the lives of vulnerable segments like women by challenging the givens of cultural particulars and providing the alternative narrative for more equalitarian gender roles. The paper is an effort to view media discourses with a postcolonial feminist lens. It is an account of gendered dimension of hybridity and ambivalence inherent in media advertisements discourses, in South Asian context by employing the technique of Critical Discourse Analysis.
Eurocentric historicist tradition has presented the culture, polity, and economy of Europe germin... more Eurocentric historicist tradition has presented the culture, polity, and economy of Europe germinating from Enlightenment as universal; and in a way fixed it as a myth or tradition not to be questioned or contested. The views about development and progress not only provided a hierarchy to evaluate the rest of the world according to European standards; but also legitimated European intervention, through process of a comprehensive liberal social engineering. The pre-colonial base of societies referred as primitive were disrupted and the rationalities underpinning the structures were signified as myths without reason. The historicist discourses created consent in such a manner that elite of these societies were unable to think outside the limits of European ideals either liberal or Marxist. But there were few exceptions to this rule. Mahatma Gandhi of India and Jose Carlos Maritegui of Peru writing in first half of twentieth century were two such political philosophers, who broadened the horizons of thought beyond Eurocentric ideals looking in back mirror, what was left behind in pace of scientism and modernity. The past provided them the vision of a future free from oppression and tyranny of internationalist deterministic orders. The paper is an appraisal of the cyclical concept of history as alternative to European historicism and ‘other’ conditions of possible (alternative views of communism) perceived by Mahatma Gandhi and Jose Carlos Mariategui rooted in myth oriented civilizations of Inca Indians and India. (Key Word: Eurocentrism, Historicism, Colonialism, great Britain, Spain, Communism, Primitive Civilizations, Mahatma Gandhi, Jose Carlos Mariategui, Peru, India)
Asia/América Latina (AAL) presenta su quinto número. Asia/América Latina surgió como un proyecto ... more Asia/América Latina (AAL) presenta su quinto número. Asia/América Latina surgió como un proyecto editorial que buscaba identificar y difundir las relaciones, intercambios e influencias entre ambas regiones apuntando, sobre todo, a la producción de las Ciencias Sociales y las Humanidades, ya que en términos de estudios geopolíticos y de Comercio exterior, existía una creciente actividad académica. Estos cuatro números (con el aquí presentado) han cumplido de sobra con estos objetivos, centrándose particularmente en la zona del Sudeste Asiático que resulta en una inexplicable área de vacancia en los estudios académicos de instituciones de América Latina, con algunas honrosas -pero pocas- excepciones.
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Papers by Rafida Nawaz
the Second World War with a proclaimed liberal ideology and
a will to global dominance. For this purpose, USA employed
not only military might to control and assert influence on its
allies but also soft power and subtle means of culture at its
disposal. Hence the US by means of military, culture and
economy emerged as a hegemonic power at the end of the cold
war. The paper aims to take an overview of the US military
presence across the continents. The United States is leader of
military coalition of powerful states. The USA have
approximately 750 military bases with instalments in 80
nations and its major ally the United Kingdom has 145. Its
present-day contenders Russia and China are way behind the
USA and other states of NATO as Russia has 36 and China has
so far one military base in Djibouti at Horn of Africa. These
military bases serve the economic purpose as well and provides
safe, protected passage to trade ships carrying goods across the globe; as free trade is an important component of a world
order conceived with liberal ideology. Though critics of the
global liberal order perceive it as the economic dominance of
developed states and trade as a means of exploitation, with a
mask of liberty, freedom, individualism and free marketing.
Besides US military and economic power in the guise of
Liberalism, another contributing factor of US hegemony is
culture. US through cultural lebensraum and soft power of its
consumer products and Hollywood movies create consent
across the globe and presents it as a just power not only
trading but also protecting humanity from a multitude of
threats. By taking an overview of US military, economic and
cultural lebensraum, the paper aims to answer how US military
preponderance across continents and states along with
economic and cultural powers gives it a hegemonic status in
the world. Employing content analysis on secondary data one
of the major findings of the paper is that despite claims of
waning US and rising China, the claim is a far cry not rooted
in reality and United States actions are derived by hegemonic
interest and are cloaked in the guise of liberalism.
Keywords: Realism, Subaltern-Peripheral Realism, Global South.
STATE-CENTRIC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY AND PARADOX OF SECURITY FOR GLOBAL SOUTH (ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA). CRITICAL APPRAISAL BY SUBALTERN-PERIPHERAL REALISTS (MOHAMMED AYOOB & CARLOS ESCUDÉ) | Ravi
the Second World War with a proclaimed liberal ideology and
a will to global dominance. For this purpose, USA employed
not only military might to control and assert influence on its
allies but also soft power and subtle means of culture at its
disposal. Hence the US by means of military, culture and
economy emerged as a hegemonic power at the end of the cold
war. The paper aims to take an overview of the US military
presence across the continents. The United States is leader of
military coalition of powerful states. The USA have
approximately 750 military bases with instalments in 80
nations and its major ally the United Kingdom has 145. Its
present-day contenders Russia and China are way behind the
USA and other states of NATO as Russia has 36 and China has
so far one military base in Djibouti at Horn of Africa. These
military bases serve the economic purpose as well and provides
safe, protected passage to trade ships carrying goods across the globe; as free trade is an important component of a world
order conceived with liberal ideology. Though critics of the
global liberal order perceive it as the economic dominance of
developed states and trade as a means of exploitation, with a
mask of liberty, freedom, individualism and free marketing.
Besides US military and economic power in the guise of
Liberalism, another contributing factor of US hegemony is
culture. US through cultural lebensraum and soft power of its
consumer products and Hollywood movies create consent
across the globe and presents it as a just power not only
trading but also protecting humanity from a multitude of
threats. By taking an overview of US military, economic and
cultural lebensraum, the paper aims to answer how US military
preponderance across continents and states along with
economic and cultural powers gives it a hegemonic status in
the world. Employing content analysis on secondary data one
of the major findings of the paper is that despite claims of
waning US and rising China, the claim is a far cry not rooted
in reality and United States actions are derived by hegemonic
interest and are cloaked in the guise of liberalism.
Keywords: Realism, Subaltern-Peripheral Realism, Global South.
STATE-CENTRIC INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY AND PARADOX OF SECURITY FOR GLOBAL SOUTH (ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA). CRITICAL APPRAISAL BY SUBALTERN-PERIPHERAL REALISTS (MOHAMMED AYOOB & CARLOS ESCUDÉ) | Ravi
The paper aims to analyze the impacts generated by a boom in tourist industry on natural, social and economic ecology of northern areas of Pakistan. The analytical method is opted to evaluate environmental hazards resulting from boom in tourism. The technique of SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis is employed to build the case (for and against) tourism in a bio-friendly natural habitat i.e. the valley of Hunza. The key finding of research after site visits in 2013 and 2018 is that cost of tourism in Hunza is deforestation, soil erosion, melting of glaciers, and destruction of local habitat. But still hope is there as local initiatives are being taken in form of organic farming to preserve local ecology. As almost whole of Northern Areas of Pakistan are facing similar threats, it is suggested that example of Hunza can be replicated elsewhere with similar threats and challenges.
The paper reflects on vital questions about state role from the perspective of gender. To what extent state can penetrate in lived experience of women beings to protect them in work and family spaces from male beings ; and influence and transform the most personal levels of gender relations; in context that gender roles are guarded and protected by the custodians of tradition?
The study is normative in content and methodology of qualitative analysis is employed to critically evaluate the impact of state legislative reforms initiated by ‘Women Policy Agencies’ (national and provincial) on women lives. The technique of “Gap Analysis” is used to understand the gap between the intended and present scenarios.
A core finding of the research is that Pakistani state is acting as custodian of women rights but state reforms are contested in society. State initiated reforms like empowerment bills and packages have stirred the status quo of tradition and practical steps are taken to remove gender inequality in private as well as public sphere. Though the study concludes that equity between genders is still a perceived utopia but state feminist policies can be considered as first step towards the ideal.
(Key Word: Eurocentrism, Historicism, Colonialism, great Britain, Spain, Communism, Primitive Civilizations, Mahatma Gandhi, Jose Carlos Mariategui, Peru, India)