Conventional Female Images, Islamization and its Outcomes: A study of Pakistani TV Dramas

Saleem Abbas 1 *
More Detail
1 Forman Christian College, Pakistan
* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp. 20-38. https://doi.org/10.12973/ojcmt/2352
OPEN ACCESS   3346 Views   2980 Downloads   Published online: 24 Apr 2018
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the dichotomy of a “good and bad” woman in the portrayal of Pakistani TV dramas telecast during the period of ‘Islamization’ (1977-88) in Pakistan. This era witnessed the integration of Islam into politics and constitutional structure. The construction of a ‘good woman rhetoric’ through TV dramas played a significant role in reinforcing stereotypical and traditional views and attitudes about women. In the wake of the War on Terror, the issues of gender equality and women representation have gained considerable attention for Pakistan. I examine two drama serials, selected on the basis of purposive sampling. Through the analysis of discourse in dialogues, roles assigned to women, and the ways of addressing them, I argue that dramas in Islamization period depict images of women that are highly conservative; this kind of rhetoric has a significant role in the provision of a gauging parameter for women’s conformity with established norms.
Keywords: Islamization, Zia-ul-Haq, Women Portrayal, PTV Dramas, Pakistani Women, Gender inequality

CITATION

Abbas, S. (2018). Conventional Female Images, Islamization and its Outcomes: A study of Pakistani TV Dramas. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 8(2), 20-38. https://doi.org/10.12973/ojcmt/2352

REFERENCES

  • Author. (2010). PTV Urdu Drama Serials: A Critical And Analytical Study from 1970-2000 (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Islamia University of Bahawaplur, Pakistan.
  • Abidin, S. Z. (Producer). (1988). Mirat-ul-Uroos [Television drama serial]. Lahore, Pakistan: Pakistan Television Corporation.
  • Ali, G. (Producer). (1979). Waris [Television drama serial]. Lahore, Pakistan: Pakistan Television Corporation.
  • Aslam, I. & Ali, A. (2009). ‘Media Matters in Pakistan’ Meddle East Report No. 251, Pakistan under pressure pp. 32-36
  • Chomsky, N. (1997). Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda. New York, NY: Seven Stories Press.
  • Esposito, J. L. (2003). Great World Religion: Islam. Chantilly, VA: The Teaching Company.
  • Gazdar, M. (1997). Pakistan Cinema 1947-1997. Karachi: Pakistan, Oxford University Press.
  • Haqqani, H. (2005). Pakistan Between Mosque and Military. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  • Haqqani, H. (2013). Magnificent delusions : Pakistan, the united states, and an epic history of misunderstanding. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
  • Hasan, B. (2000). Uncensored: An eyewitness account of abuse of power and media in Pakistan. Karachi, Pakistan: Royal Book Company.
  • Hassan, R. (1999). Feminism in Islam. In A. Sharma & K. K. Young (Eds.), Feminism and World Religions (pp. 248-278). New York, NY: State University of New York Press.
  • Hijari, N. (2015). Midnight’s Furies: A deadly legacy of India’s partition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
  • Hussain, S. A. (2015). Power Failure: The Political Odyssey of a Pakistani Woman. Karachi, Pakistan: Oxford University Press.
  • Hussain, N. (1996). Television Drama. In M. Malik, & N. Hussain (Eds.), Reinventing Women: Representation of Women in the Media During the Zia Years (pp. 22- 42). Lahore, Pakistan: Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre.
  • Intimate parts in Islam. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimate_parts_in_Islam
  • Jaffrelot, C. Ed (2002). Pakistan: Nationalism without Nation?, London: Zed Books Ltd.
  • Jala, A. (1985). The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, The Muslim League and Demand for Pakistan, London: Cambridge University Press.
  • Jalal, A. (2013). The pity of partition : Manto's life, times, and work across the IndiaPakistan divide, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Jamal, A. (2013). Jammat-e-Islami Women in Pakistan: Vanguard of a New Moernity?, Syracuse New York: University Press.
  • Maskiell, M. (1984). The Impact of Islamization Policies on Pakistani Women’s Lives (Unpublished working paper No 69) Montana State University, Bozeman MT.
  • Mumtaz, K. and Shaheed, F. (1987). Women of Pakistan: Two Steps Forward, London: One Step Back, Zeb Books Ltd
  • Lawrence Z. (2003). Pakistan: at the Crosscurrent of History, Oxford: Oneworld Publications
  • Naqvi, S. (2017, August 18). This is very much Zia's Pakistan, the most influential man after Jinnah. Dawn. Retrieved from https://www.dawn.com/news/1352139/this-isvery-much-zias-pakistan-the-most-influential-man-after-jinnah
  • Paul, T.V. (2014). The Warrior State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World, New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Paracha, N. F. (July 02, 2017). “Disco and the Dictator”, Dawn Retrieved from https://www.dawn.com/news/1342639/smokers-corner-disco-and-the-dictator
  • Rashid, A. (2012). Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of America, Pakistan and Afghanistan, London: Viking Penguin.
  • Shah, S. M. (2014). Bhutto Zia and Islam, Retrieved from www.Bhutto.Org.
  • Saigol, R. (2016). Feminism and the Women’s Movement in Pakistan: Actors, Debates and Strategies, Retrieved from http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/pakistan/12453.pdf
  • Talbot, I. (1998). Pakistan: A Modern History, London: Hurst & Company.
  • Talib, S. & Idrees, Z. (2012). Pakistani Media and Disempowerment of Women. In Carilli, T. & Campbell, J. (Eds.), Challenging Images of Women in the Media: Reinventing Women’s Lives (pp. 29-33). New York City, NY: Lexington Books.
  • UNE Center for Global Humanities [Username]. (2015, Nov 30). Ayesha Jalal [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syTyfvMhlU4&t=1920s
  • Zia, A. S. (2009). The reinvention of feminism in Pakistan. Feminist Review, 91, 29-46.