Traveling Feminista: A Blog about traveling as a Pakistani/American/Muslim/Feminist Scholar-art-ivist

At the heart of my blogging lies the desire to be a traveler moving through the world in a body marked as female, a woman whose evolving feminism can help heal herself and in so doing, inspire others to do the same. Journeying without and within, allows for the self to turn toward its other, to recognize the other in oneself; in so doing, one can learn to connect across the divides that threaten to engulf us, dissolving boundaries that keep us from loving our multiple selves

The Fundamentalist Nexus of Neoliberalism, Rentier Capitalism, Religious and Secular Patriarchies, and South Asian Feminist Resistances.

In two case studies from Pakistan, which I then link to Afghanistan (under the Taliban before and after the Soviet/US proxy war there) as well as the Farmer’s Movement in India—I wish to proffer an intersectional analysis of debates around the issue of women’s rights in the global south. Feminist artivism (art-as-activism), can help build solidarities to mount resistances against globally-inflected state repression in our age of neoliberal economic and religious fundamentalisms, which, working in tandem, seek to roll back the rights of women and minorities in and across South Asia, as elsewhere

Nawal el Saadawi Memorial tribute

On March 28th 2021, almost a week after my dear friend, colleague, role model, the revolutionary feminist writer Dr Nawal el Saadawi passed away in Cairo, Egypt, I held a Virtual Memorial Tribute to honor her considerable achievements and impact on so many people across our world. In attendance were admirers of her work across the globe, mourning the loss of an icon of Arab feminism who exposed the many hypocrisies and corrupt power relations of our world West to East, top to bottom. In so doing, she alerted us through her uncompromising clarity of vision to the complex imbrication of issues of gender oppression with those of religion, seeing the latter in turn as a tool for the continued hegemony of what she termed the g/local class patriarchal imperialist system. She talked the talk, she walked the walk, and for her commitment to ending oppression and injustice wherever she found it, but especially against women and the poor in her beloved Egypt where she was born and raised—Nawal was both reviled and punished by her detractors but also feted and adored by her global coterie of fans and admirers. When she passed away in her beloved Cairo, the world lost a true rebel, a “visionary from the future” as one of the speakers at her memorial tribute called her. It was an honor and a duty for me to organize this gathering, that featured moving remembrances from thought leaders representing a variety of academic disciplines and locations who had had the privilege of knowing a fearless feminist and social justice warrior the world has yet to fully appreciate and understand. It was meaningful to also have present at the virtual memorial, her daughter the poet Mona Helmi, and filmmaker Atef Hettata, who tuned in from Cairo. May their mother live forever in our hearts and minds. Ya Nawal—we miss you so; shukran for being such an amazing source of inspiration for countless generations of women and men to come

The Fundamentalist Nexus of Neoliberalism, Rentier Capitalism, Religious and Secular Patriarchies, and South Asian Feminist Resistances

In two case studies from Pakistan, which I then link to Afghanistan (under the Taliban before and after the Soviet/ US proxy war there) as well as the Farmer’s Movement in India—I wish to proffer an intersectional analysis of debates around the issue of women’s rights in the global south. Feminist artivism (art-as-activism), can help build solidarities to mount resistances against globally-inflected state repression in our age of neoliberal economic and religious fundamentalisms, which, working in tandem, seek to roll back the rights of women and minorities in and across South Asia, as elsewhere

Roshan Ara Begum: Performing Classical Music, Gender, and Muslim Nationalism in Pakistan

The imbrication of issues of nation, class, gender, and religion necessitates a critical revision of the so-called secular postcolonial modernity embraced by Indian nationalists, including musicologists. The life and struggle of Roshan Ara Begum—Pakistan\u27s first and, to date, arguably greatest singer of classical music—is an instructive example of the complex intertwining of agency, resistance, and resignation in Muslim-identified Pakistan and Hindu-identified India

Chemical composition of Nigella sativa Linn : Part 2 Recent advances

The black cumin or Nigella sativa L. seeds have many acclaimed medicinal properties such as bronchodilatory, hypotensive, antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and immunopotentiating. This review article is an update on the previous article published on Nigella sativa L. in this journal in 1999. It covers the medicinal properties and chemical syntheses of the alkaloids isolated from the seeds of the herb

Feeding and Reproductive Biology of a freshwater catfish, Rita rita (Hamilton, 1822) from the river Ganga

Rita rita, a freshwater catfish from the Bagridae family is facing threats of extinction due to over-exploitation and the loss of breeding grounds owing to anthropogenically-driven ecological changes in their native habitat. River Ganga is one of the most important rivers of India, which is affected by industrial and urban waste disposal, unsanitary rituals, and other anthropogenic activities. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the feeding and reproductive biology of R. rita which is native to India and Asian countries. A total of 260 R. rita samples were collected from the Narora site of River Ganga on a monthly basis. Data on feeding habits, feeding intensity, Gonado-somatic index, and maturity stages based on macroscopic and histological studies, fecundity, and sex- ratio were examined. The gut contents of R. rita were composed mainly of molluscs, fishes, insects, crustaceans, annelids, and detritus. RGLs varied significantly with fish size but stayed within the omnivore feeding category. From the month of May to July, females and males had higher GSI values. The fecundity of the sampled R. rita specimens ranged from 9464-72,678 in different size classes. Fecundity was found to be linearly related to body length, body weight, and ovarian weight. The average male-to-female ratio was found to be 1:2.6