Women, Muslim Culture and the Development Discourse

The Case of Poor Pakistani Women

  • Meryem Zaman Doctoral candidate, Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. Her dissertation research focuses on women's religious gatherings and interactions with sacred text in Pakistan.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52541/isiri.v47i3.4234
Keywords: women, muslim, culture, development

Abstract

This paper examines the discourse surrounding poor Pakistani women and their problems, specifically their poverty and powerlessness to change their lives. This discourse has traditionally been constructed by international donor agencies, local elites and Non-Governmental Organizations. The incorporation of poor women's voices into this discourse was intended to increase accuracy in the depictions of their lives. I argue that the process of inclusion is tainted by the needs of the agents participating in development. Instead of improving the representations of women embedded in the discourse, women's voices are used to cement the previously existing representations of their problems.

References

N/A
Published
2008-09-30
How to Cite
Zaman, M. (2008). Women, Muslim Culture and the Development Discourse: The Case of Poor Pakistani Women. Islamic Studies, 47(3), 349–366. https://doi.org/10.52541/isiri.v47i3.4234
Issue
Vol. 47 No. 3 (2008): Islamic Studies
Section
Articles

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