Final Year Project

Project Title

Masculinities in Shi’ite Islam in Karachi

Description

My thesis research investigates the lived experiences of Shi’ite men in Karachi, Pakistan, and focuses on the performance of gender through faith-based rituals. All inquiry is therefore analytical and deals with the significance of metaphors and symbols in the cultural context at hand. While most contemporary masculinities operate within the larger framework of a “hegemonic masculinity”, Shi’ite men have available to them a space for plurality in expression. This space offers both expectation and reprieve from rigidity in the performance of masculinity. The thesis expands upon the imagination and conceptualization of masculinity in feminist and postcolonial discourse and builds a case for the existence of multiple masculinities.