Womansplaining

Womansplaining writer conversations: Charting history through lived experiences

Date: August 20, 2021

The series called ‘Womansplaining Writer Conversations’ will have a number of digital sessions featuring many of the 22 women contributors to the book. The exciting first session featured the editor of the book Sherry Rehman (as the Chair) as well as two of the most important contributors to the book, Farida Shaheed and Khawar Mumtaz. Setting the stage for the conversation, Sherry Rehman discussed how the idea of building a repository of women leaders and their struggles inspired her to take on this project, and juxtaposed the women’s movement of today with that of the 1980’s. In addition to discussing her personal journey, Farida Shaheed talked about how movements come about at particular junctures of history and the manner in which context determines the issues women take up. Given the shrinking space for discourse on key issues pertaining to women, Khawar Mumtaz likened today’s situation with the one under the rule of General Zia, and stressed on the engaging with political parties to carve out space for women in the political realm. The session was moderated by the poet and thinker Harris Khalique.

Watch here: