Journal of Contemporary Poetics

Initial Pages

Dr. Munazza Yaqoob — 2024-07-31

Editorial, Advisory Board and Table of Contents

Extended Space as Disgrace: A Phenomenological Study of Rahat Khwaja’s Queerness in the Pakistani Movie Zindagi Tamasha

Farheen Shakir — 2024-07-31

This phenomenological study reveals the societal backlash faced by Rahat Khwaja in the movie Zindagi Tamasha, highlighting broader implications for the acceptance of queer identities within Pakistan's socio-religious landscape. I, hereby, contend that Pakistan’s gender-based patriarchal society disregards and questions queerness, especially in religious personalities. Rationalising this study using Sara Ahmed’s queer phenomenological model of affect as contact with Gillian Rose’s visual methodologies, I examine the conundrums of gender performance in the patriarchal Pakistani society by significantly focusing on how Khwaja's dance performance challenges normative gender roles and problematises societal backlash on becoming a queer-oriented religious person. Nonetheless, his newly acquired queerness as rejection of the norms highlights the socio-religious dilemma of his existence. This study reflects on the problem of queer phenomenological belongingness and unbelongingness of Khwaja as a disoriented figure in the hetero-obsessed patriarchal society and the resultant challenges he faces due to the backlash on his dance performance while asserting his identity as a righteous masculine man. Although he refuses to apologise, this extended space becomes disgraceful for him, and recreates his marginalised position as a fat-belly dancer. By examining the societal reaction to Khwaja's performance, I underscore the complexities of queer identity politics in contemporary Pakistan, shedding light on both the challenges and resilience of individuals navigating cultural norms for adjustment.

Keywords: Queer Phenomenology, Zindagi Tamasha, viral queer memes, disgrace, socio-religious shaming culture; Pakistani queer cinema, Rahat Khwaja

Negation of Negation: Father as a Vanishing Mediator in Orhan Pamuk’s The Red-Haired Woman

Dr. Sheheryar Khan — 2024-07-31

The Red-Haired Woman is an atypical addition to the oeuvre of Orhan Pamuk as it deviates from the usual politico-historical thematic and puts myth at the forefront. The novel intersperses ancient myths and legends with personal history to weave a complex narrative in which characters are individuals as well as types. In this essay, the argument is built on the premise that the ‘father figure’ in Orhan Pamuk’s novel The Red-Haired Woman acts as a ‘vanishing mediator’ for the actualisation of the son as a ‘fully constituted capitalist individual.’ Cem, the protagonist, works as an apprentice to a well digger and in the process is transformed into something that is the very negation of his father’s ideals and, in turn, his own son has to go through the same transformation to return to the first movement of the dialectic. Frederic Jameson, apropos Max Weber, puts forward the notion of a ‘mediator’ that brings about a certain transformation and after that “it has no further reason for being and disappears from the historical scene” (78). In Weber’s view, the pervasiveness of Protestant ethicssushered in an ascetic attitude that perceived work as something sacred. This sanctity of labour led to surplus capital and thus a religious outlook brought in its antagonistic ideology. The movement is dialectical as the mediator is not an ‘other’ but an element of ‘pure difference’ arising out of the term itself (Žižek 181). The article uses textual analysis as a method to read the selected text.

Keywords: Vanishing Mediator, Negation of Negation, Oedipus, Shahnameh, Myth

Re-Orientalism and Colonial Nostalgia in Pakistani Austen Rewritings: A Case Study of Austenistan

Shameen Imran — 2024-07-31

Our paper aims to explore the recent Austen rewritings in Pakistani Anglophone fiction such as Austenistan as an example of professional fan fiction and postcolonial literature. These rewritings, we argue, possess such qualities that not only appeal to Janeites but also adhere to Re-Orientalism. The primary premise of our work focuses on the strategic use of ‘Austenmania’ by Pakistani Anglophone female writers in their fiction and its tendencies to project an oriental gaze on Pakistan, while also aligning it with the ‘benevolent modernity’ of former colonial masters. In our paper, we have critically analysed seven stories from the anthology Austenistan by mainly drawing upon the theoretical lens of Re-Orientalism propounded by Lisa Lau along with other relevant theories of Robert Dryden, Sarah Brouillette, Patricia M. E. Lorcin, and William Bissell, etc. Our research explores that Pakistani Janeites employ the practices of “possession” and “selfothering” in Austenistan through compromised and pejorative representations of Pakistan which is a manifestation of their nostalgia for the colonial past.
Keywords: Janeites, Regency era, South Asian writers, Pakistani Anglophone fiction, Self-othering, Re-Orientalism, Colonial Nostalgia.

Identity in the Postmodern Psychosocial Context: A Study of Nicola Yoon’s The Sun Is Also a Star

Farkhanda Shahid Khan — 2024-07-31

This textual analysis of Nicola Yoon’s novel, The Sun Is Also a Star theorises the contentious issue of the transcultural identity of teenage immigrants in the postmodern psychosocial context. The study contributes to the heated discussion on identity formation in biracial and diasporic young adult literature by using Erikson’s concepts of psychosocial relativity, identity formation and identity crisis, and Jean Baudrillard’s concepts on postmodern identity. This article contends that in an effort to maintain one ethnic identity by erasing her previous Jamaican identity in Trump’s era in the United States, the protagonist Natasha experiences anti-Black racism, discrimination, and biracial identity formation. Conversely, another character in the novel, Daniel relishes dynamic identities to fit in the USA. However, his biracial identity results in an identity crisis. Thus, Yoon’s novel validates a postmodern condition, where teenagers’ multiple identities are regulated on the basis of ethnicity and their struggle for independent identities remains futile. Hence, the study shows that the USA
does not allow biracial people to experience or adapt to Americanness easily.

Keywords: adolescence; cultural identity; identity crisis; psychosocial
relativity; postmodernism

Exploring Female Agency in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s By the Sea: A Postcolonial Feminist Analysis

Kamran Farooqi — 2024-07-31

This study examines the portrayal of female agency in post-independence Zanzibar, as depicted in Abdulrazak Gurnah's novel By the Sea. Specifically focusing on the characters Asha, Bi Sara, and Bi Maryam, the study employs Gayatri Spivak's theoretical framework to analyze the interactions and responses of these characters in the face of oppressive forces and marginalization. The research sheds light on how these female characters navigate power dynamics, confront their lower social status, and resist oppression through nuanced strategies, particularly using silence. Through a detailed exploration of the characters' experiences, this study seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of the agency and resilience of marginalized women in colonial settings. Ultimately, this research aims to underscore the significance of silence as a tool for resistance and endurance, highlighting its role in challenging prevailing narratives and advocating for women's rights in postcolonial contexts.

Keywords: Abdulrazak Gurnah, colonialism, female agency, postcolonial
feminism, Patriarchy