Shameen Arshad
The book " The good Immigrant" is highly relateable. It is a compilation of short essays by individual that feel or are treated as the outsider in the community. There are several references in the book to the idea of being stuck between two different worlds. It is a collection of narratives that talk about the issues surrounding race in the UK. Thus, it proved to be an importance reference to use when trying to understand the treatment as well as status of different foreign communities in modern day Britain.
Riz Ahmed's account titled "Airports and Auditions" in particular helped me understand and define the initial confusion and feeling of chaos I experienced. The book also helped me build up my own idea of "other-ness" and displacement.
Shukla also talks about the “constant anxiety we feel as people of colour to justify our space, to show that we have earned our place at the table". Thus, this book was instrumental in understanding the pressures I personally felt on arrival in the UK. These pressures consequently became the basis for my final project.
This book explains the dynamics of race post colonialism. As a person who is entirely new to the idea of exploring one's cultural identity this book proved to be quite resourceful. It talks about race being a social construct that is a product of colonialism. It talks about inequality and segregation as a tool to take control of different regions.
Stephen Spencer gives detailed descriptions of different races and ethnicities, capturing the complexities of different nationalities rather than presenting a stereotypical or cursory account. It also discusses the way in e= promote race promoting integrity can without being reductionist of the experiences particular to each "race". Spencer's book made taking on an idea unfamiliar to me easier.
"The Raj" happened to be the only book present in the college library at the time that was based on art in colonial times. Thus, I ended up issuing the sole book that took upon the responsibility to disseminate knowledge over the subject.To my dismay the account of history given in the book was completely different from the one I had learnt to be true. Looking at this book turned out to a resource for me to understand what the other side of the story was; the other version of British presence in the subcontinent.
Also, the book is based on the largest show of Indian art in London by the National Gallery. The fairly large book not only lists the artefacts presented but also delves into the detail as to where they were found and what they stood for or represented. The book was a good way to see the collection but I have my doubts about the historical accuracy of the definitions attached to each article.
Reading about Macaulay seemed rather appropriate as he was a key player in the British occupation of the subcontinent. He established the western education system in the subcontinent in hopes of "enlightening" the masses. Macaulay is one of the most contested personalities in subcontinent history when it comes to his contributions in old India.
Pakistanis are highly split on their opinion of him as some locals see him as an absolute villain who stripped us of the knowledge of our own culture and language where as others claim he made India a internationally suffocated region.
Macaulay's own words as quoted in the book helped me take a glimpse into the psyche of an imperialist and decide which side of the argument I felt was more valid. Whether beneficial or not the changes and contributions made by Macaulay cannot be denied. The biography exposed me to a detailed account of the transformation of the academic system that is still in place today.
Article - Urdu in schools causes "greviances" says Unesco report
I recently came across an article which was about the UNESCO report on the use of Urdu as a national language and official language in Pakistani government schools as causing “greviance” in students. Pakistan is a land of almost 70 languages and Urdu speaking make about 5% of the population which is much lesser than other speakers of other regional languages such as Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu etc.
Despite being a country that is so diverse in its vernacular, Urdu was ignorantly thought of as the appropriate medium of instruction and also a tool to unify the largely variegated population that had newly assumed the identity of being “Pakistani”. This grossly ignored the culture of East Pakistan, becoming a contributing factor to its separation into the state of Bangladesh. Even today there is an immense cultural and social divide between the English speaking elite and the rest of the locals.
And then there are those like me that belong to a middle class family, but were fortunate enough to get the same elite private school education that makes them sound “superior” despite their humble backgrounds - Hybrids that are outcasts in both social classes.
Therefore it’s ironic how something that was initially established as a device of unified national identity, has in fact resulted in divisions since its inception.
Dr.Mubarak Ali - In Search of Identity
I recently came across Dr. Mubarak Ali’s book “Pakistan in search of identity”. As this title pretty much defined my project I felt that perusing the book would only help enlighten me about the search I was currently on. The book explains how the idea of existentialism or identity crisis is synonymous with Pakistan since its creation. It talks about how this problem came into being since the country’s inception. This is mainly attributed to how the country lost the man behind its conception, Mohammad Ali Jinnah only a year after its creation. It also talks about how recognizing the diversity within the nation seemed to conflict with the idea upon which the country was made- a separate state in the name of Islam. Such views are also found in Nadeem Farooq Pasha’s book. His book “Points of Entry” mentioned below also talks about how the diversity within the country was seen as a weakness and something that challenged the very idea of a different homeland.
Mubarak Ali’s book also traces this identity crisis before partition where Indian Muslims were considered inferior to the foreign Muslim world and how their status was elevated once the foreigners left. It also talks about how the locals to date try to tie themselves to Arabs or even the Ottoman empire without actually sharing any blood relations, in order to be perceived as equally superior.
The book presents an impartial account of the history of the country and thus has become has a popular resource material for other scholars grappling with a similar subject.
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Nadeem Farooq Paracha's Points of Entry and Raza Rumi's book Being Pakistani
both these books have been a major source of inspiration as well as knowledge about the Pakistani culture. Both the writers talk except the diversity prevalent within the country. So far they seem to be the most impartial accounts of the cultural landscape of Pakistan and the reason might how it gave to be. Both Rumi and Nadeem do not hold back what might be considered as a "controversial view" or out of line with the account of history that the state promotes. Unlike history books, they acknowledge the presence of many different communities in the country.
It is fascinating yet troubling to know facts about one's own country that we had no prior knowledge of. Such as how Pakistan is considered to be the birth place of Buddhism. Paracha talks about one of the holiest spot for Buddhists that exists within our country. Though I was aware of the presence of Buddhism in the region in the past , I was surprised to find out the significance the region holds in terms of the Buddhist faith.
The writer touches upon many habits prevalent within the society and possible misconceptions regarding them. for i.e he rejects the idea of drinking alcohol as a western practice and validates
tea drinking as particularly European. The writer has included details about the several aspects of the Pakistani community that confuse many individuals. The book can be used as a guide to understand certain contradictions that are prevalent in the Pakistani society.
Rumi's book introduced me to a world of customs, tradition, art and literature I was completely oblivious of. Not only did the book provide me information about my subject but it also kept reinforcing my utter ignorance concerning Pakistani culture. I have gone back to the book time and again while working on my project.
The first name that pops into one's head when talking about culture is Homi Bhabha. Though the reading in the book was largely dense and hard to understand, certain bits really resonated with me. Bhabha talks about how the struggle of the subcontinent is such a large part of his personal narrative. He says "my childhood was filled with accounts of India's struggle for Independence, it's complicated history of subcontinental cultures caught in that deadly embrace of Imperial power and domination."
He wonders over what his life would be in the absence of overlapping cultures, a thought that has entered my mind quite recently.
He talk about the idea of "in between" spaces in which individuals reside. Bhabha in his book also introduced me to other scholars and creative individuals that work on the fluidity of identity and the existentialist crisis that arises because of it. For i.e Renee Green ,an African American artist, who reflects on cultural difference as a product of minority identities that "split"-"are estranged unto themselves".
I plan on coming back to Bhabha's work for future projects. The book is inundated with rich and solid ideas of existence, society and generational trauma.