Pious, populist, political masculinities in Pakistan and India

This article makes a case for the inclusion of piety politics and populist masculinities in any analysis of the governance and international relations between two South Asian rivals and nuclear neighbours; Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. It offers a comparative case-study of the r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:South Asian popular culture 2022-05, Vol.20 (2), p.181-199
Main Author: Zia, Afiya Shehrbano
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed forces
Asceticism
Feminism
Governance
Hegemony
Heteronormativity
Imran Khan
India
International relations
Masculinities
Masculinity
Modi
Nativism
Pakistan
Patriarchy
piety
Politics
Populism
Regional security
Religiosity
Resistance
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article makes a case for the inclusion of piety politics and populist masculinities in any analysis of the governance and international relations between two South Asian rivals and nuclear neighbours; Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. It offers a comparative case-study of the redeemed Sufi masculinity of the recently deposed Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, and the ascetic Hindutva one performed by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The study finds that the nativist, capitalist and gender discriminatory regimes of both populist leaders depend on subduing any dissenting resistance offered by subaltern masculinist and feminist politics. The conclusion finds that military-pious-heteronormative masculinity serves to stabilize patriarchy in both 'manly states' and underwrites regional security policies. It also points to how subversive movements are constantly challenging these hegemonic masculinities.
ISSN:1474-6689
1474-6697
DOI:10.1080/14746689.2022.2090679