Women and Protest Politics in Pakistan
The article asks how fragility and conflict shape contentious politics and create opportunities for women바카라 사이트™s social and political action
Abstract
This article draws on qualitative research on 5 different gendered contentions in Pakistan: a feminist mobilisation, a protest against child sexual abuse, a workers바카라 사이트™ mobilisation for greater employment benefits, an ethno-religious minority community바카라 사이트™s demand for protection from sectarian attacks, and an ethno-nationalist mobilisation for post-conflict security and greater rights. All our cases of contention are based on claims the state has repeatedly failed to address. The article asks how fragility and conflict shape contentious politics and create opportunities for women바카라 사이트™s social and political action. Why do women act collectively and engage in protests and what are their leadership strategies? What do these strategies tell us about the goals of these contentions and the women who lead them? We argue protests function as part of a broader repertoire of strategies to maximise women바카라 사이트™s voice and impact in a constrained context. Protest strategies are complemented by advocacy with government, court petitions, engagement with formal politics, and alliance with feminist leaders. Some women leaders strategically traverse the divide between contentious and formal politics, and use their feminist voices to amplifying protest claims and mobilise support. Leaders generate support for each other바카라 사이트™s contentions, believing their goals are linked. The positive impacts include the enhanced effectiveness of some protest leaders, improvements in state accountability, widening of feminist discourse, and activists바카라 사이트™ empowerment as actors in the public domain. Gains remain uncertain in the long term due to shrinking civic spaces, gendered barriers to political inclusion, and increasing backlash.
This work is part of the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) Research programme
Citation
Khan, A.; Jawed A. and Qidwai, K. (2021) Women and Protest Politics in Pakistan, Gender & Development, 29:2-3, 391-410, DOI: 10.1080/13552074.2021.1981623