Who are we?

Narivaad (translated as feminism in English) is a voice of socialist-feminist thought and practice in Pakistan. Narivaad aims to provide an analysis of society, politics, art and culture from a socialist and feminist perspective. We are a non-commercial online magazine, published by the Women Democratic Front, a Pakistan-based independent socialist-feminist organization. Originally launched in December 2018, Narivaad initially existed in hard copy format, featuring content in Urdu, the lingua franca of Pakistan, as well as in the country’s five national languages: Balochi, Pashtu, Sindhi, Saraiki, and Punjabi. Presently, Narivaad is available online in both Urdu and English, with distinct content in each language section. This non-commercial online magazine aims to promote critical discourse and understanding of gender, class, nation, and power dynamics within Pakistani society and beyond.

The authors and management collective of Narivaad operate on a voluntary basis, dedicating their time and efforts to the publication’s mission without financial compensation. As a self-funded initiative, Narivaad relies entirely on contributions from like-minded progressives, sympathizers, and readers worldwide to sustain its content and finances. The magazine does not accept any form of institutional funding or support from governmental or non-governmental organizations, the corporate sector, or NGOs. This commitment to independence ensures that Narivaad maintains editorial autonomy and upholds its principles of socialist-feminist thought and practice without external influence.

What do we want to achieve?

We believe that Pakistan is in dire need of a feminist scholarship, rooted in its own histories, objective conditions and contemporary realities which truly represent a narrative of the people and by the people – voices of the working-class people, oppressed nations, women, khawaja saras, and people of under persecution religions and sects.

We believe that donor-funded scholarship has not been able to truly represent the feminist movement/s in the country. The donor-funded or led scholarship often falls victim to the neoliberal, conservative, colonized and eurocentric trends, and is based on distorted histories and ideologies. This in turn has resulted in the erasure of the labour of many feminist struggles and other forms of resistance. The text industry spends billions on the commissioned production of knowledge to control the masses and limit the critical faculties of people around the world. These ideologies and trends have not only influenced the field of social sciences in Pakistan but also stagnated the evolution of progressive thinking and practice in education and society.

Narivaad strives to provide a theoretical and political alternative to neoliberal scholarship, the text industry, corporate studies, and the state’s narrative. It seeks to offer a platform that promotes progressive thinking, values, and critical and democratic thought, with the ultimate goal of building an egalitarian society.

As an alternative scholarship space, Narivaad aims to counter the alienating nature of mainstream social sciences. Instead, it offers an alternative grounded in the organic production of knowledge and truth, shaped by the rich histories, civilizations, politics, cultures, production systems, and political resistance of the oppressed nations that have inhabited the region for centuries.

By centering on these organic and homegrown perspectives and experiences, Narivaad aims to challenge dominant narratives and foster a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances of Pakistani society, to contribute to the development of a more just and egalitarian society

Editorial Collective

Editors: Ismat Raza Shahjahan (Urdu) and Sadia Khatri (English)

Sub-editors Urdu: Zara Zulfiqar, Amna Mawaz, Sidra Kamran, Aliya Bakhshal, Shama Zainab, Mahvish Ahmad

Sub-editors English: Zoya Rehman, Amna Mawaz, Sidra Kamran, Tooba Syed, Sara Kazmi, Mahwish Ahmad

Graphic designer: Tehreem Hassan

Submission

We welcome submissions around these perspectives. Please consult the Submission Guidelines and Call for Papers  before sending in a piece. For further queries, contact us at:

Contact

email: narivaad@gmail.com
X (twitter): narivaad
facebook: narivaad.mag

Insta: narivaad.ma