Daily Times

‘Wrestlers, Pigeon Fanciers,

and Kite Flyers

Traditional Sports and

Pastimes in Lahore’

By JurgenWasimFrembgen and Paul Rollier

Wrestling, racing pigeons, and kite flying are emblematic of the Walled City of Lahore. They show the wealth and diversity of Pakistani folk cultures in an exemplary way. Most importantly, they are an expression of happiness and joy. In short, they represent a cultural system and preserve cultural values. This is the first book dealing in detail with these traditional sports and pastimes. The authors argue that these seemingly trivial pleasures form an integral part of social life in Pakistan and create important bonds between various communities.

‘Masculinity, Sexuality,

and Illegal Migration

Human Smuggling from

Pakistan to Europe’

By Ali Nobil Ahmad

This book challenges the prevalent notion that labour migration is driven purely by rational economic forces. The author draws upon psychoanalytic social theory to examine the roles of masculinity and irrationality in the decision to migrate, thus stimulating a more complex debate about migration’s causes and consequences. The book provides empirical material on the experiences of new waves of Pakistani male migrant workers to the West and brings together the study of labour and of transnational migration.

‘The Tyranny of Language in Education

The Problem and its Solution

Revised and Expanded Edition’

By Zubeida Mustafa

Can we reform education in Pakistan using any language? No, says the author, who argues her case from a young child’s perspective. Since the first edition of this book, a lot of research has been carried out on this subject. The findings have not changed, but they shed new light on the subject and should certainly create more awareness among educationists and policymakers, as well as parents. The author proposes the roles to be assigned to the mother tongue, the national language, and English, the international language of the day.

‘Gender, Politics, and

Performance

in South Asia’

By SheemaKermani, AsifFarrukhi, and Kamran Asdar Ali

Tehrik-e-Niswan strives to improve and empower the lot of women in Pakistan through the use of drama and the performing arts. They held a Conference in Karachi in December 2010, putting forward an agenda of rethinking the issue of gender, performance, and politics in South Asia. The present volume is the outcome of the Conference and is based on a majority of the papers presented by scholars at the workshop. The book explores the interconnections between performance arts and the politics of gender and class in South Asia within an historical framework and sociological research.

‘Perils, Pitfalls and Reflexivity in Qualitative Research in Education’

Edited by FauziaShamim and Rashida Qureshi

This collection of critical reflections on conducting qualitative research provides a unique insight into the experiences of researchers working in countries in the South. The book explores how ‘Western’ theoretical concepts and research approaches developed in the North can be adapted to respond to the developing country communities.

Published in Daily Times, November 1^st 2018.