A Special Study Of Profiles Of Well-Known Pakistani Muslim Feminist Women

Abstract

General interpretations of feminism are political in nature as it challenges material and ideological structures of power as thought. There are different interpretations based on different ways of seeing and understanding society. Liberal feminism, the most popular interpretation, believes in equal rights within the modern conception of the nation-state. Although there are different opinions in this school of thought, but its main objective is to ensure equal distribution of legal and political rights between women and men. In addition, the famous schools of thought include Marxist feminism, Radical feminism school which, unlike the Marxist and liberal schools which are public in their interpretation, the school advocates a personal or private feminist approach in its thought. This school is fundamentally opposed to the patriarchal system. Apart from this, there is a socialist school which is a combination of radical and Marxist thought and basically believes in the need for revolutionary changes in the socio-economic system because according to it the injustice of the patriarchal system is due to  the institutions established by the state. It is strengthened by the West as the theoretical foundations of all these schools of thought exist, but in the context of the subcontinent, the interpretations here have their own history and culture. There are different schools of thought of feminism in Pakistan where the reasons for affiliation are both conscious and unconscious, it is difficult to have ideological affiliation with any one of the schools of thought. Here, people associated with the thought of feminism have been influenced by different ideas under the circumstances and necessity. The article under review deals with the plight of prominent feminist women of Pakistan who have been active for women's rights.