BEYOND THE PURDAH: UNIVERSITIES IN NAROWAL AS AGENTS OF SOCIO-ISLAMIC EMPOWERMENT FOR WOMEN

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the role of universities in Narowal, a rural district in Pakistan, as key institutions for the socio-Islamic empowerment of women. The study considers how universities equally contribute to women’s access to education, agency and empowerment, against a range of customary, religious and social factors or issues, in a traditionally conservative environment. The main findings identify five key themes: access to higher education, socio-Islamic empowerment, cultural negotiation, economic and social agency, and the institutional role of the university. The presence of local universities significantly alleviated mobility for those women; coupled with some gender-responsive aspects of higher education, such as female faculty members, these institutions stimulated increased rates of female participation and enrollment. Islamic teachings can also be viewed as both a motivating factor to obtain an education, as well as offering women a framework to engage with their religious rights critically, to achieve their own sense of agency. Women's cultural issues are also paramount, as the women moved cleverly between cultural frameworks such as purdah and familial sense of "common honor," to achieve familial acceptance of their education. While women benefitted from preparing for socially acceptable careers, and through educational student societies and other related pedagogies, women's social agency was fostered and increased sense of agency fostered overall public participation. The results highlight a complicated relationship in which traditional cultural and religious values exist side-by-side with progressive educational goals with universities in Narowal seen not just as sites of academic development but rather as changing places where women negotiate their identity, faith, and empowerment. Moreover, this research enhances our understanding of how higher education may be an instrument for gender-equitable and socio-religious empowerment in conservative rural contexts.