SHAH Unraveling the Threads Controlling Pakistan's Gendered Nation-Building Ideology"

What does “cis-gender” mean?

A person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth

What is Shah critiquing in her essay?

The way the Pakistani state and elites use ideology to control women

How are concepts like “Pakistan

” “woman

What is statist ideology in Pakistan?

The use of state power by ruling elites to promote specific views about women

Why does Shah challenge phrases like “In our culture we believe…”

“In Islam

Why is Chandra Mohanty’s quote important in Shah’s argument?

It highlights the problem of treating “women” as a homogenous group

Why does Shah argue women/Islam/Pakistan are not monolithic?

Because experiences

How is marriage used in Pakistan according to Shah?

As a tool to enforce gendered control

What does Shah mean by “women as a resource”?

Women’s social

What is colonial patriarchal ideology?

Gender norms imported during colonial times that continue to shape Pakistani society and women’s roles

What is pluralistic identity erasure?

Suppressing diverse cultural

What is private patriarchy?

Control over women exercised within the family through education

What is public patriarchy?

Control over women in the public sphere through exclusion

What is patriarchal bargaining?

When women conform to male-dominated social structures to secure limited rights or resources

What is domestic labour?

Unpaid work typically performed by women

Why does devaluing domestic labour naturalize patriarchy?

It frames women’s contributions as non-essential

What is the material base in Shah’s argument?

Collective resources

What is the impact of unpaid domestic work on women?

Mental health burdens

What is colonial-statist ideology?

The combination of state power and patriarchal norms imported from colonialism to control women and standardize society

Who is General Zia in Shah’s essay?

A Pakistani ruler whose policies emphasized women’s confinement to home and traditional roles (“Chadar aur chardewari”)

What does “Chadar aur chardewari” mean?

“The veil and the four walls of the home

What is the state-sponsored Islamic identity?

A rigid

What does Shah mean by “gaslighting of an entire gender”?

Systematically manipulating social norms to make women doubt their value

What is a religious-nationalist-patriarchal community?

A group of elites enforcing a singular Islamic identity that serves both national and patriarchal goals

What is socialization of subordination?

Teaching girls to prioritize family

What is ideological collaboration?

Historical cooperation between intellectual elites and the military to control female identity and promote patriarchal nationalism

How is female identity treated as a resource?

Women’s social and economic roles are reduced to serving others

How does marriage homogenize ethnocultural identities?

By imposing a singular Islamic identity and erasing internal diversity

What are imported Islamic norms?

Traditions adopted from other Muslim countries without context to shape Pakistani women’s roles

What is inter-generational alienation?

Women feel physically

What is unpaid reproductive caregiving?

Labour such as childcare and domestic duties that is expected of women without recognition

How does Pakistan law treat non-monetary contributions?

It largely ignores women’s unpaid work in terms of property

How does the Bangladesh patriarchy example relate to Pakistan?

It illustrates private and public patriarchal control

What does Shah mean by the state as ideological enforcer?

The government actively promotes ideas about women’s roles to maintain national unity and patriarchy

What is autonomy restriction?

Preventing women from making decisions prioritizing their individuality

How is female worth measured post-marriage?

By service to husband

What is the difference between Islamic identity and culture according to Shah?

The state separates religion from local traditions to enforce control

What is social policing of women?

Families and society enforcing norms on girls’ behavior

What is mental and emotional labour?

Invisible work like managing household relationships and family well-being

What is gendered nation-building?

Using women’s roles and identities to construct a unified national ideology

What is elite control of norms?

Intellectual and religious elites dictating societal expectations of women

What is marriage as a state tool?

Ensures women fulfill prescribed roles and maintain a singular Islamic-national identity

What is subordination teaching?

Girls are socialized to accept inequality and lack of autonomy as natural

What is ideological denaturalization?

Analyzing concepts like culture

What is pluralism suppression?

Preventing women from connecting with diverse cultural or ethnic heritages

What is social theory application?

Using theory to understand ideology rather than attributing norms to culture or religion alone

What does “female life as vehicle” mean?

Women’s roles are instrumentalized to uphold state

What is colonial patriarchy persistence?

Historical gender hierarchies continue to shape modern laws

What are gendered control mechanisms?

Marriage

What is the intersection of religion and patriarchy?

Using religious narratives to justify women’s confinement to family and domestic roles

What was the history of education denial for Muslim women?

Both modernist and conservative men historically prevented women’s education to maintain patriarchy

What is female exclusion from politics?

Systematic prevention of women accessing economic and political power

What is cultural essentialism critique?

Shah rejects the idea that Islam

What is hegemonic culture?

Dominant values and norms created by elites to maintain social control

How do television and social media influence women?

Reinforce patriarchal norms and limit female autonomy

What is ethnocultural identity erasure?

Discouraging women from connecting to their ancestral or local heritage

What are societal expectations of compliance?

Women are trained to accept and reproduce state-sanctioned norms of behavior

What is symbolic female unification?

Women’s bodies and identities are used to symbolize national unity and male-dominated ideology

What is the mental health impact of coerced subordination?

Emotional stress

What is the singular statist narrative?

The unified identity imposed by the state that eliminates diversity and enforces patriarchal control

What is the role of the religious-nationalist elite?

Shaping women’s identities to serve both Islam and state ideology

What is female invisibility?

Women’s work

What are post-colonial gender norms?

Continuation of gender hierarchies and patriarchal control after independence

What is gendered social coercion?

Using norms

What is autonomy vs. tradition conflict?

Tension between women’s self-determination and patriarchal societal expectations

What is colonial-era elite decision-making?

Shaping women’s education

What is the difference between religious conservatism and liberalism?

Both historically restricted women’s autonomy for patriarchal purposes

What is socialized obedience?

Girls are taught to accept subordination as a social norm

What is non-monetary contribution recognition?

Legal and social frameworks acknowledging domestic and caregiving work as valuable

What is female confinement?

Restricting women’s physical

What is inter-generational gaslighting?

Passing down ideologies that normalize female subordination across generations

What is imported patriarchy?

Adoption of foreign gender norms to reinforce male dominance

What is Islamic national identity imposition?

Forcing women to embody a state-defined version of Muslim identity

What is colonial intellectual collaboration?

Partnership between educated elites and the military to enforce gender norms

What is marriage as social instrument?

Central to transmitting patriarchal and statist ideology

What is the state-society-family triad?

Institutions that enforce gendered control over women

What is feminist perspective in Shah’s essay?

Analyzing how power

What is subversion of female identity?

Marriage and domestic roles suppress personal expression and individuality

What is cultural homogeneity?

State-enforced sameness of identity masking internal diversity

What is patriarchy reinforcement?

Through laws

What is female social policing?

Enforcement through family

What is sexual objectification?

Women valued primarily for reproductive

What is the dowry system’s role in patriarchy?

Accumulating capital while reinforcing women’s subordinate role

What is nationalistic purpose of women?

Shaping female roles to serve ideological goals of the Pakistani state

What is control of behaviour norms?

Regulating dress

What are exclusionary gender norms?

Women discouraged from education

What is religious-nationalist ideology?

Combines religion and nationalism to control women’s roles and identity

What is female identity suppression?

Individuality and autonomy are subordinated to societal and state expectations

What is legal inequality in divorce?

Women do not have equal rights to initiate or obtain divorce

What are remarriage restrictions?

Women face societal and legal barriers compared to men

What is socioeconomic exploitation?

Women’s unpaid work benefits men and the state rather than themselves

What is symbolism of women in nation-building?

Female bodies and roles symbolize national unity and ideology

What is intersectional critique?

Shah emphasizes that women

What is colonial legacy in gender?

Past colonial structures continue to shape modern society

What is ideological erasure?

Suppression of plural narratives in favor of state-prescribed identity

What is female autonomy denial?

Systemic restriction of women’s decision-making

What is patriarchal social order?

A system where men control resources

What is elite maintenance of norms?

Intellectual and religious leaders enforce gendered expectations

What are gendered nation-building tools?

Marriage

What is domestic work invisibility?

Society ignores the labour and contributions of women in households