Karachi, 22 November: Oxford University Press (OUP) organized a panel discussion on its publication Gender, Politics, and Performance in South Asia edited by Sheema Kermani, Asif Farrukhi, and Kamran Asdar Ali. The book is based on the papers presented at a Conference organized by Tehrik-e-Niswan in Karachi in 2010 aimed at rethinking issues of gender, performance, and politics in South Asia. The book expresses various aspects of the social impact of the arts: How culture brings people together and leads to harmony and cohesion, counters violence and aggressive attitudes, and urges people to reflect and think. It demonstrates how, within the South Asian milieu, the cultural forms such as theatre, dance, music, film, or the fine arts have been used to advocate for gender and class equity, women’s rights, and the rights of the marginalised. The book recently won the Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan Memorial Award for 2015. The award, instituted by the Council of Social Sciences Pakistan (COSS) in 2005, is given every year to the best book in social sciences in the fields of rural/urban development, gender discrimination, peace, and poverty alleviation.
Sheema Kermani is a classical dancer, teacher, theatre practitioner, and women’s rights activist. She is founder and head of Tehrik-e-Niswan, an organisation dedicated to improving women’s rights in Pakistan by raising awareness through the use of dance and the performing arts.
Asif Farrukhi is an author, critic, and translator. For his distinguished work, he was awarded the Prime Minister’s Literary Award by the Pakistan Academy of Letters in 1997 and the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.
Kamran Asdar Ali is Professor and Dean, Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His publications are related to the topics of health, gender, sexuality, urban issues, popular culture, and labour history.
The event held at the Oxford bookshop in Dolmen Mall Clifton featured a discussion between Sheema Kermani, Asif Farrukhi, Kamran Asdar Ali and the illustrator and children’s author, Rumana Husain. The conversation revolved around how cultural forms and performances interrogate the constructions of identity, class, and religious affiliation and how the contributors of the book have addressed this important gap in the study of performing arts in South Asia in general and Pakistan in particular.
Earlier in her welcome address, Ameena Saiyid, Managing Director, OUP Pakistan, introduced the editors of the book, the moderator, and spoke about OUP’s publishing programme. She said that she was proud to present this publication from OUP, which really is a feast for the intellect.