Sloganeering at Pakistani Aurat (women) March: A Diffractive Reading
Keywords:
Aurat March Haya March Agential Realism Feminist Activism Diffractive ReadingAbstract
This paper presents a diffractive reading of the slogans used in the annual Aurat March in Pakistan, a feminist event often criticized for allegedly promoting Western ideologies and disrupting local cultural values. By employing an agential realist framework, this study explores the entanglements between the postcolonial and the colonial, the divided and undivided histories of the subcontinent, and the complex intersections of patriarchy and feminism in Pakistan. Through a reworlding of the march’s discourse, the analysis highlights how its slogans negotiate between indigenous feminist expressions and transnational feminist currents. Furthermore, the study examines the relational dynamics between Aurat March and its counter-movements, Haya March and Mard March, uncovering the broader socio-political contestations that shape feminist activism in Pakistan. Ultimately, this work underscores the possibilities and limitations of feminist resistance within a historically and culturally layered landscape.
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