Contemporary Pakistani Fiction in English

Looking at a wide selection of Pakistani novels in English, this book explores how literary texts imaginatively probe the past, convey the present, and project a future in terms that facilitate a sense of collective belonging. The novels discussed cover a range of historical movements and developments, including pre-20th century Islamic history, the 1947 partition, the 1971 Pakistani war, the Zia years, and post-9/11 Pakistan, as well as pervasive themes, including ethnonationalist tensions, the zamindari system, and conspiracy thinking.

Autorentext

Cara Cilano is Professor of English at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, USA. She is the author of National Identities in Pakistan: The 1971 war in contemporary Pakistani fiction (Routledge 2010).

Inhalt

Introduction Part 1: Idea to Nation 1. 1947 2. 1971 Part 2: Islamic Nation? Islamic State? 3. Islam before Pakistan 4. Zia's Islamization Part 3: Multicultural Nation Privileged State 5. Karachi 6. The Zamindari System Part 4: Failed State, Nation in Crisis 7. 9/11