Sakina Jangbar | St. John's University (original) (raw)
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Papers by Sakina Jangbar
Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2021
Western feminist writers often associate voice with empowerment and treat silence as a manifestat... more Western feminist writers often associate voice with empowerment and treat silence as a manifestation of a woman's powerlessness. Although the significance of voice cannot be minimized, the association of silence with victimization is flawed. This essay analyzes the silent appearance of Ghazala Khan, a Pakistani Muslim woman, at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Using post-colonial methodology, I argue that her silence was an expression of her agency rather than her powerlessness. My analysis focuses on Trump's comments, Ghazala's postconvention remarks, and Ghazala's dupatta (light scarf). The impulse to essentialize silence can be checked by examining contextual information surrounding the silence.
Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 2021
Media has stripped Muslim women of agency by promoting the stereotype of a "submissive" Muslim wo... more Media has stripped Muslim women of agency by promoting the stereotype of a "submissive" Muslim woman. My essay seeks to build a counter archive of wilful Muslim women by tracing the moves of Pakistan's former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto. I argue that Benazir's wilfulness became a catalyst for collective action that not only overthrew a tyrannical regime, but also expanded the borders of possibilities for Muslim women. Using Sara Ahmed's theoretical construct of wilfulness, I develop three themes: how Benazir became a marked woman, how wilfulness spread amongst Pakistanis, and how Benazir's wilfulness empowered female leadership in the Muslim world. I conclude with some autoethnographic remarks on what Benazir's legacy means to me as a Pakistani Muslim woman.
This paper analyzes two poems written by Sir Mohammed Iqbal, a 20th century philosopher-poet, who... more This paper analyzes two poems written by Sir Mohammed Iqbal, a 20th century philosopher-poet, who played a significant role in the Indian struggle for independence from the British Raj. I argue that in the Complaint and the Answer to the Complaint, Iqbal utilizes a Muslim jeremiad to construct an Indian-Muslim identity that is steeped in history yet looks towards new possibilities for people struggling under an oppressive colonial regime. The paper concludes that Iqbal combines elements of the Biblical, conservative, and progressive jeremiads to dissolve the contradictions of tradition/progress and spirituality/political agitation that had immobilized his community.
Talks by Sakina Jangbar
Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2021
Western feminist writers often associate voice with empowerment and treat silence as a manifestat... more Western feminist writers often associate voice with empowerment and treat silence as a manifestation of a woman's powerlessness. Although the significance of voice cannot be minimized, the association of silence with victimization is flawed. This essay analyzes the silent appearance of Ghazala Khan, a Pakistani Muslim woman, at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Using post-colonial methodology, I argue that her silence was an expression of her agency rather than her powerlessness. My analysis focuses on Trump's comments, Ghazala's postconvention remarks, and Ghazala's dupatta (light scarf). The impulse to essentialize silence can be checked by examining contextual information surrounding the silence.
Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 2021
Media has stripped Muslim women of agency by promoting the stereotype of a "submissive" Muslim wo... more Media has stripped Muslim women of agency by promoting the stereotype of a "submissive" Muslim woman. My essay seeks to build a counter archive of wilful Muslim women by tracing the moves of Pakistan's former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto. I argue that Benazir's wilfulness became a catalyst for collective action that not only overthrew a tyrannical regime, but also expanded the borders of possibilities for Muslim women. Using Sara Ahmed's theoretical construct of wilfulness, I develop three themes: how Benazir became a marked woman, how wilfulness spread amongst Pakistanis, and how Benazir's wilfulness empowered female leadership in the Muslim world. I conclude with some autoethnographic remarks on what Benazir's legacy means to me as a Pakistani Muslim woman.
This paper analyzes two poems written by Sir Mohammed Iqbal, a 20th century philosopher-poet, who... more This paper analyzes two poems written by Sir Mohammed Iqbal, a 20th century philosopher-poet, who played a significant role in the Indian struggle for independence from the British Raj. I argue that in the Complaint and the Answer to the Complaint, Iqbal utilizes a Muslim jeremiad to construct an Indian-Muslim identity that is steeped in history yet looks towards new possibilities for people struggling under an oppressive colonial regime. The paper concludes that Iqbal combines elements of the Biblical, conservative, and progressive jeremiads to dissolve the contradictions of tradition/progress and spirituality/political agitation that had immobilized his community.