Journal of Arts and Linguistics Studies

Gender Performativity and the Trickster Figure of Amar Ayyar in Tilism-e-Hoshruba

Sarah Abdullah, Prof Dr. Amra Raza, Dr. Amna Umer Cheema — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the trickster figure of Amar Ayyar in Tilism-e-Hoshruba, the first fully Indianized epic dastan of South Asia, through a poststructuralist gender framework inspired by Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity. The study situates Amar Ayyar within both the Urdu dastan tradition and poststructuralist discourse to show how Tilism-e-Hoshruba anticipates modern debates on gender fluidity and performative identity. While not a chivalric hero, Amar Ayyar emerges as the true agent of transformation in the religious and symbolic conflict depicted between the forces of good and evil in the dastan. By performing and parodying gender through his series of disguises, Amar destabilizes the presumed natural link between sexed bodies and gendered behavior. His acts of deception and transformation reveal gender as a cultural construct sustained by repetition rather than essence. Unlike conventional narratives where deviation from gender norms invites punishment, Amar’s subversions are rewarded—suggesting an alternative precolonial understanding of embodiment and identity.

Lost in Translation Revisited: Timely Teacher Feedback and the Academic Writing Performance of Omani EFL Undergraduates

Hilal Al Amri, Dr Aqsa Atta , Nuzhat Nawaz — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Although exposure to English has broadened across Oman, many undergraduates still struggle with the linguistic, rhetorical and cultural demands of academic writing in tertiary settings. Building on calls for evidence based approaches to feedback, this quasi experimental study examines whether timely teacher feedback (within 48 hours) significantly improves the academic writing quality of Omani English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. One hundred first year undergraduates (50 male, 50 female) enrolled in Academic Writing I were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving rapid feedback and a control group receiving feedback after one week. Pre and post tests were marked with a validated analytic rubric covering coherence, cohesion, vocabulary and grammar (inter rater reliability α = .87). Independent samples t tests and a mixed two way ANOVA revealed statistically significant post intervention gains for the experimental cohort across all domains (p < .001), with the largest effect in vocabulary (Cohen’s d = 1.12). Findings align with sociocultural views of feedback as contingent mediation and underscore the need for responsive, culturally sensitive writing support frameworks in Gulf tertiary contexts. Implications centre on institutionalising 48 hour feedback cycles, training faculty in efficient written commentary techniques, and embedding iterative, discipline linked writing tasks across the curriculum.

Algorithmic Storytelling: From Hollywood to TikTok: Can AI Reshape Cultural Narratives?

Ruhma Shazab, Ayesha Ishfaq — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This review examines how storytelling is changing in the algorithmic era where artificial intelligence (AI) and recommendation systems are part of how narratives are produced and distributed. In the Hollywood of the 20th century, the control of the market was based on the homogenized formulas of narratives, the three-act narrative structure and the adventure of the hero, which produced globally recognizable, yet homogenized narratives. The emergence of digital platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Tik Tok has broken down this paradigm by substituting the use of intuition in decision-making with algorithmic data and individualized suggestions. Algorithms do not only affect the distribution of stories to the audience; they also actively affect creative production by using generative AI tools, script evaluation software or real-time audience feedback. Case studies bring into focus two opposing but related models: the dependency of Hollywood on predictive analytics which has driven formulaic sequels and franchise-based productions and the participatory storytelling ecosystem of Tik Tok where micro-narratives flourish because of user interaction and trends on the For You Page.

The review highlights the dual-faceted nature of the algorithmic storytelling that can be used to democratize cultural expression as well as support systemic inequalities. On the one hand, platforms boost marginalized voices, by bypassing the traditional gatekeepers, and on the other, biased moderation, echo chambers, and commercial focus prove to be a threat to the exposure of diversity, and false information. Authorship, copyright, data privacy, and cultural bias are ethically and politically controversial issues, and the growing power of algorithmic systems makes them new intermediaries of cultural stories. In the future, cultural production can be redefined by hybrid systems of human-AI co-creation, interactive personalization, and decentralized systems of storytelling. The key to making sure that algorithmic storytelling will enhance, and not avert, the diversity of narratives of the global cultures will be balancing innovation with transparency, inclusivity, and ethics.

A Multimodal Discourse Analysis: Representation of Women in Feminine Hygiene Product

Shiza Asif, Musarat Yasmin, Isra Irshad — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Advertisement influences the world view of people and is used as tool to impart a certain type of ideology in society. Advertisements help in constructing and deconstructing the concepts that general public hold. They also help in constructing gender roles. This research paper involves the analysis of advertisements of sanitary products i-e pads. The basic purpose of the present research is to examine the representation of women in advertisements of products which belong to women only and also investigate the message encoded in these advertisements and the kind of ideologies they construct. For the analysis of data Kress and Leeuwen’s multimodal is used as theoretical framework in this research. A sample of two video commercials is used for the analysis. Data analysis shows the differential representation of women in sanitary product advertisements. Women are mostly portrayed as mothers, housewives, and in association to beauty and fashion but in these advertisements, they focus more on women strength, power and competitiveness. This difference indicates that women in comparison to men are always portrayed as submissive while the advertisements which are gender specific the portrayal of women is entirely different and this strong representation empowers women.

Cultural Contexts, Linguistic Choices, and Women’s Representation: A Cross-Contextual Feminist Stylistic Analysis of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Ahmad Ali’s Twilight in Delhi

Yousaf Kamran Bhatti , Mujib Rahman — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper investigates the discursive portrayal of female characters in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Ahmad Ali’s Twilight in Delhi through the perspective of feminist stylistics. The study aims to uncover how linguistic and discursive strategies construct female voices, agency, and subjectivity within two distinct cultural contexts. Drawing on Sara Mills’ model of feminist stylistics, the analysis focuses on aspects such as naming practices, narrative voice, silence, and gendered discrimination. Findings suggest that Hurston, as a female author, creates more spaces for women’s resistance and empowerment but all suffer due to patriarchy, while Ali’s text tends to reinforce traditional patriarchal ideologies, though not without traces of ambiguity. The comparative study highlights the role of authorial ideology and cultural context in shaping the discursive construction of women through their choice of words.

BS English Research Project Writing: Challenges and Reflections from a Balochistan Case Study

Raheela Naveed Shah, Muhammad Zeeshan, Samreen Zaheer, Bibi Palwasha — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The research project is a vital component of the four-year (BS) English program, portraying the culmination of students' academic journey. There is a dearth of research aimed at investigating BS English students’ experiences and challenges while undertaking research projects. Hence, this study is designed to fill the gap by exploring the experiences of BS English students regarding the research project writing in the context of Balochistan. Using a qualitative approach, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with ten final-semester BS English students at a university in Balochistan. The result revealed that students face numerous challenges during their research projects including limitations in academic reading and writing proficiency, restricted access to academic resources, insufficient institutional, and supervision in the research process. The study carries important implications by offering insights into the challenges and reflections surrounding BS English research project writing, drawing on a case study from Balochistan. Given that, it is recommended that universities in Balochistan strengthen support mechanisms for BS English students engaged in research projects. Faculty development programs should prioritize training in research methodologies, academic writing conventions, managing supervision, and making sure the availability of the relevant library resources.

Imagining Conflict Through Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Hypothetical Narratives in a Projected Iran–Israel War

Dr. Saima Jamshaid , Dr. Nazia Anwar — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article develops a scenario-based application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by constructing a hypothetical case study of a projected Iran–Israel war. Rather than analyzing historical data, the study creates a fictional but plausible corpus modeled on political speeches, media reports, and international statements to examine how discourse might legitimize or delegitimize military action in such a scenario. Drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional CDA model, the analysis illustrates how discourses of “terrorism,” “existential threat,” and “defense” would likely dominate Western narratives, while counter-discourses of “resistance,” “occupation,” and “anti-imperialism” would characterize regional and Global South framings. By explicitly treating this as a constructed scenario, the study demonstrates the value of CDA in anticipating discursive strategies of war-making before conflicts occur. It proposes “Scenario-Based Discourse Analysis (SBDA)” as a methodological extension of CDA that enables scholars to interrogate not only how wars are represented after the fact, but also how they might be discursively framed in possible futures.

Improving Narrative Essay Writing Skills through Process Genre Approach: BS 1st Year ESL University Students in Karachi

Hafiz Imran Nawaz, Prof. Dr. Asadullah Larik, Dr Asadullah Lashari — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The primary purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of process genre approach in improving the narrative essay writing skills of undergraduate ESL students. A quasi-experimental research design was used. The sample size consisted of sixty students who were selected through a purposive sampling technique. Furtherly, they were divided into two groups, i.e, experimental and control. The data were gathered through pretest and posttest. Meanwhile, the students in the experimental group received treatment through process genre approach whereas the students in the control group received the traditional teaching method. The duration of treatment was 8 weeks, with a 90-minute lesson plan per week. Moreover, the narrative essays were graded through a standardized rubric and analysed statistically through SPSS V (24). The findings established that both groups improved their narrative essay writing skills; however, the students in the experimental group demonstrated significant improvement in narrative essay aspect (content and structure, style and accuracy) achieved through process genre approach. Thus, process genre approach enhances students' ability to write narrative essays substantially. English teachers at the university level are, therefore, strongly encouraged to recognize the importance of process genre approach and to adopt this model in assisting their students to improve their writing skills.

A Comparative Analysis of Ecocriticism in a Passage to India and Burnt Shadows

Dr. Zareena Qasim, Hassan Raza, Aisha Umer — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study explores the place of nature in A Passage to India (1924) by E.M. Forster and Burnt Shadows (2009) by Kamila Shamsie in terms of environmental imagination (1995) by Lawrence Buell and eco-cosmopolitanism (2008) by Ursula Heise. This research explores the ways in which nature in both novels play a role larger than serving as a mere background, such that it also participates, morally and symbolically, in the plotline, the characterization, and cultural discourse. In A Passage to India, nature itself, especially the Marabar Caves, is seen as a metaphor of cultural alienation and opposition that are part of colonization process, whereas in Burnt Shadows the natural setting is combined with the trans-national repercussions of war, displacement and environmental trauma. This study discusses the way in which two novels make use of nature to criticize colonialism and what it now describes as global ecology issues and as a naturally taking place agent that seeks to challenge human’s assumptions and make them accountable towards them by ethically questioning them on their routes to the environment. A comparative ecocritical analysis will demonstrate the role played by nature as an object of rebellion and moralization of the soul in these texts and provide the sense of the human moral obligations to nature. The research is built on the theories that Buell and Heise have proposed and contribute to the postcolonial ecocriticism because it will target the links between the environmental problems we are facing all around the world and the significance of environmental awareness in literature. The study also indicates that further research may widen the scope of postcolonial ecocriticism to include the representations of nature made by other writers, especially writers whose regions of origin had most suffered because of the environmental and colonial exploitation.

Exploring the Correlation between Emotional Intelligence and ESL Speaking Performance Considering Gender Variations

Dr. Summaira Qanwal, Dr Sadaf Siddiq — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the second language (L2) learning context, speaking proficiency remains one of the most important yet challenging skills to be acquired, demanding not only linguistic competence but also emotional regulation and social adaptability. The present study investigates the correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and English-speaking proficiency among graduate-level ESL learners in Pakistan, with an additional focus on the role of gender keeping learning achievement, an indicator of IQ, as a controlled variable. A total of 250 ESL students from the Department of English Linguistics, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, participated in the study. Data were collected using TOEIC speaking proficiency test to assess proficiency of ESL learners and standardized EI questionnaires, combining items of trait, ability, and global EI. To analyze the data, Person’s product-moment correlation analysis was conducted. The data analysis revealed that trait EI and global EI had a significant and positive correlation with L2 speaking proficiency, even when learning achievement was held constant. However, ability EI showed weaker or non-significant correlation. The findings of the present study also indicated that the sub-factors of trait EI: well-being, self-control, emotionality, sociability, and motivation have contributed to learners’ speaking proficiency. The research also investigated how gender correlated with EI and its sub-types, and the findings revealed that both male and female participants benefited from EI in improving their English speaking proficiency. Female participants demonstrated slightly higher association between their EI, specially trait EI, and their L2 speaking skills. The findings of this study reveal that communicative competence in L2 is not merely a cognitive process. It is also shaped how a learner is able to control their emotions and use their emotions for better performance. The learners should be able to use and control their emotions effectively in order to perform well in L2 settings. Thus, L2 instruction and pedagogical practices should foster learners’ communicative competence, confidence, resilience and overall EI for effective L2 performance.

Oppressed becomes Oppressor: Transformation of Saraswathi in Nayomi Munaweera’s novel “Island of a Thousand Mirrors”

Nabila Akbar, Marium Majeed, Shehar Bano — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Extreme violence has been inflicted in Sri Lanka during Sri Lankan Civil War, from 1983 to 2009 due to the constant discrimination and brutal persecution of Sri Lankan Tamils held by Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lanka government. Such brutality resulted in migration of a large number of Tamils to other countries and remaining joined Tamil militant forces intentionally or forcefully. Series of these events caused adverse consequences on lives of affected people. The paper seeks to explore that how in such circumstances sometimes, the oppressed ones become oppressors. The study considers this view in Paulo Freire’s concepts stated in Pedagogy of the Oppressed (2005) about “oppressor” and “oppressed”. In his view, sometimes the one who is oppressed instead of struggling for freedom, himself/herself becomes oppressor. This research focuses on the character of Saraswathi, an important character in Nayomi Munaweera’s novel Island of a Thousand Mirrors (2012), how she transforms from an oppressed to an oppressor and how her role changed within the society.

Adaptation as Transposition: An Analysis of Text-Screen Structures of Control in Stephen King’s The Stand (1990/2020)

Sobia Sikander, Dr Uzma Imtiaz — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research paper deals with the analysis of the selected text The Stand (The Complete & Uncut Edition) published in 1990 by Stephen King and its adaptation (mini television series) with the same title developed by Josh Boone and Benjamin Cavell in 2020. The adaptation (television series 2020) as a transposition represent the critique of capitalism and a consumer culture along with the themes of illusion and reality. This study also highlights the role of adaptation as an intertextual entity in the technological world of control. The study of both text and its adaptation (television series) is quite significant as it strengthens the importance of the contribution of signs, symbols and images through video adaptations. The study is qualitative in nature and it highlights the implicit and explicit structures of power and control through theoretical insights of the Linda Hutcheon (2006) and Jean Baudrillard (1968-81). The study is also helpful in providing quality education and inclusive learning which is SDG# 4 by promoting critical thinking which helps the individuals to form better understanding of the society.

Scarcity and Sexual Politics: Gendered Precarity Under Neoliberal Patriarchy

Dr. Shaista Malik, Dr. Ayaz Muhammad Shah, Dr. Abdul Shakoor — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper argues that neoliberalism, while framed as an economic logic of freedom and efficiency, is deeply bound up with gendered violence. The withdrawal of the state from social welfare disproportionately burdens women, forcing them into precarious labor while devaluing feminized professions and normalizing sexual exploitation. Analyzing Chinelo Okparanta’s Happiness, Like Water (2013)—specifically “Story, Story!,” “America,” and “Runs Girl”—the study examines how Nigerian women are situated at the intersection of economic fragility, global desire, and gender inequality. Drawing on David Harvey’s account of neoliberal restructuring and Lauren Berlant’s idea of “cruel optimism,” the paper shows how women’s bodies become “survival economies,” where mobility and intimacy are commodified under global capitalism. Ultimately, Okparanta’s fiction portrays neoliberalism not as an abstract system but as an embodied struggle in which love, freedom, and survival are inseparable from global economic forces. The study also looks at how Nigerian women deal with intimacy, migration, and survival in the face of economic instability as depicted in the short story collection by Okparanta.

Flooding Narratives in Pakistan (2025): A Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA)-Driven Ecolinguistic Analysis of Dawn News Coverage during the Peak of the Crisis

Shahid Nawaz, Dr. Sadia Siddiq, Muhammad Yaseen — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined Dawn News coverage of the 2025 Pakistan floods through a computational ecolinguistic approach that integrated Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Computational Grounded Theory (CGT) proposed by Laura K. Nelson (2020). A corpus of 150 e-reports published between during the peak of the crisis (May-September 2025) was processed in Python 3.12 to identify latent themes and framing structures in the media discourse. Standard natural language processing (NLP) and text preprocessing techniques were applied, including tokenization, lemmatization, stopword removal, lowercasing, and vectorization using CountVectorizer method. The LDA model was trained and implemented with five topics specified. The computational results were then interpreted through Stibbe’s (2015) concepts of framing, erasure, and ecological wellbeing.

The LDA analysis revealed five dominant narratives: human impact, infrastructure and environment, relief and housing response, rescue operations, and disaster management. These narratives foregrounded human suffering, state-led responses, and infrastructure fragility, while ecological factors such as deforestation, poor urban planning, and climate mismanagement were erased or silenced in the background. The coverage adopted an anthropocentric framing that represented nature as destructive and humans as passive victims or active rescuers. The study demonstrated how the blending of computational grounded approach and qualitative ecolinguistic interpretation enhance understanding of ecological issues in the modern world. It also underscored the importance of embedding ecological accountability in media narratives to promote sustainability, resilience, and ecological wellbeing.

Socially-situated gender identities in Pakistani advertisement: A critical discourse analysis of Linguistic and Cultural Norms

Shabana Batool, Aliya Huma — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Advertising is an important form of discourse that cuts across several fields, including linguistics, media, and gender studies. This research analyzes the Ariel Matic advertisement “Why is laundry only a mother’s job?” using Critical Discourse Analysis. Based on the three dimensions of Norman Fairclough’s model—description, interpretation, and explanation—the research examines the role of language and the accompanying visuals in the construction, reproduction, and contestation of gender identities in the Pakistani context. In the analysis, the text’s ideological undercurrents are revealed through an examination of the discourse, vocabulary, and visual semiotics. The advertisement is highly inventive in the rhetorical and discursive strategies it employs to dismantle the patriarchal assumption that domestic work, and in particular laundry, is the sole responsibility of women. The Matic advertisement argues for the agency of women and the revision of dominant gender roles, showing its dual social ideological relevance of Pakistan in South Asia.

Adaptive Reuse as a Conservation Strategy: The Case of Trinity Church, a British-Era Heritage Site in Karachi

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Cultural heritage is a vital expression of a society’s history and identity. Adaptive reuse has gained global recognition as a sustainable strategy for conserving historic buildings, allowing them to accommodate new functions while preserving their tangible and intangible values. In dense urban contexts, this approach supports socio-cultural development, integrates modern needs, and prevents the abandonment or demolition of heritage structures. Religious buildings, particularly churches, are increasingly being reimagined for diverse contemporary uses without compromising their architectural or symbolic integrity.

This paper explores the adaptive reuse potential of Trinity Church, a British-era heritage site in Karachi, Pakistan. Though protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, such churches remain underutilized due to demographic shifts and rapid urbanization. Through spatial analysis, archival research, and stakeholder consultations conducted during 2020–2021, the study highlights opportunities for introducing community-oriented functions that align with religious sensitivities. Comparative insights are drawn from the adaptive reuse of Sint Niklaaskerk in Westkapelle, Belgium, where sacred and secular uses coexist through reversible interventions.

The findings emphasize adaptive reuse as a viable strategy for sustaining British-era churches in Karachi. The paper advocates for strategies that incorporate community engagement, spatial adaptability, and policy support to ensure long-term heritage preservation within evolving urban landscapes.

Unraveling the Influence of Haunting Memories on the Characters in Que Mai’s “Dust Child”

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article unravels haunting memories and traumatic experiences in Dust Child through Caruth’s theoretical standpoints of trauma as delayed, repetitive and timeless. The research also takes into account how the traumatic memories of war continue to haunt the survivors long after the occurrence of war by appearing in the form of dreams and hallucinations, and what techniques the victims use to overcome war memories and fear. This research also focuses on the impacts of trauma on the next generation. Cathy Caruth argues that trauma is not experienced at the time of occurrence but appears later in the form of flashbacks and dreams. She discloses that trauma is based on belated understanding. This delayed period makes the trauma difficult to articulate. The haunting past and the flashbacks illustrate the impacts on the psyche of the characters in Qué Mai's novel Dust Child. The past experiences of Daniel, Kim, Phong and Quynh make them the victims of personal trauma. Their personal lives are disturbed by their past experiences. This study concludes that the concept of haunting past is present in the novel. All the characters of the novel Dust Child have a traumatic past and face the consequences of their past. Their trauma is related to the Vietnam War, and the war experiences leave lasting impacts on their lives.

Stylistic Analysis as a Tool for Enhancing Critical Reading: Insights from Poetry and Fiction in the ESL/EFL Context

Ramzan Hanif, Dr. Sajid Hussain, Dur e Nayab, Muhammad Hasnain, Abdul Waheed — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper investigates how stylistic analysis of poetry and fiction can foster critical reading skills among learners in ESL/EFL contexts. Rather than focusing on classroom interventions, the study adopts a text-based approach, examining selected poems and fictional passages to illustrate how stylistic features such as metaphor, imagery, parallelism, deixis, and narrative perspective encourage deeper interpretative engagement. Drawing on stylistics as an interface between language and literature, the analysis demonstrates that close attention to linguistic patterns enhances awareness of how meaning is shaped, disrupted, or foregrounded in literary texts. By analyzing a poem by William Blake and an excerpt from Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, the study shows how stylistic techniques stimulate critical awareness of thematic complexity, ambiguity, and authorial choices. The findings suggest that stylistic analysis, when applied to diverse texts, equips learners with interpretive strategies that go beyond surface-level comprehension, ultimately contributing to critical reading competence in second-language literary studies.

Investigating the Lexical Demands of Specialized Podcasts for English for Specific Purposes: A Corpus-Based Study

Numan Bilal, Jamal Nasar, Dr. Sajid Iqbal, Dr. Tariq — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

With the growing use of digital media in language education, podcasts have emerged as an accessible and authentic resource for developing learners’ listening and vocabulary skills, particularly within English for Specific Purposes (ESP) contexts. The study examines whether specialized podcasts in history, business, and science and technology are suitable for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learners, based on their lexical coverage. A corpus-based quantitative method analyzed 360 podcast episodes totaling approximately 2.8 million words. Lexical coverage was determined using AntWordProfiler and the BNC/COCA word lists. The findings revealed notable variations across domains: business podcasts demonstrated the highest accessibility, achieving 95% lexical coverage at lower word family thresholds (4000 word families), while history podcasts exhibited the greatest lexical demands, heavily reliant on proper nouns and domain-specific references, requiring up to 7000 word families for optimal comprehension and science and technology podcasts occupied an intermediate position, characterized by technical but relatively predictable vocabulary. The results emphasize the importance of teaching vocabulary specific to a domain, the need for pre-listening scaffolding, and the selection of appropriate podcasts for ESP courses. The research provides insights for teachers, content producers, and learners to help leverage and maximize podcast usage in academic and professional contexts.

An Exploration of Discourse and Power in Shah’s A Season for Martyrs: A Foucauldian Perspective

Muhammad Noman Tahir, Muhammad Afzal Khan Janjua — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines and evaluates the interplay between discourse and power in the pre and post Partition socio-political landscape of Pakistan in general and the Sindh province in particular in Bina Shah’s novel, A Season for Martyrs (2014) by employing Michel Foucault’s theorization of power and discourse. It is contended that the colonialism’s practice of generating the so-called imperialistic discourse in a bid to legitimize the colonization process and to establish supremacy in the pre-Partition subcontinent is put into practice, though in morphed form, in modern day Pakistani socio-political space as well. The Colonizer’s place has been taken over by Pakistani elites in contemporary society. This article also makes the point that the colonial legacy remains alive in Pakistan with the United States at the helm of affairs and a potent intervention in Pakistan’s internal affairs validating neocolonialist paradigms in the contemporary world. The dichotomy between the elite and non-elite is pervasively prevalent phenomenon bedeviling Pakistan. By analyzing the characters in the novel, the current study postulates that the influential politicians, spiritual leaders (Peers), military cum bureaucratic elites and feudal lords exploit, control, suppress and violate the rights of common people. It is also argued that the suppressed ones resist the multifaceted oppression. However, the resistance never succeeds in reining in the exploitation thereby creating the vicious cycle of power and resistance. The research becomes incremental in understanding the role of literature in power discourse in Pakistan and beyond.

Beyond the Traditional Curriculum: Using a Targeted Intervention to Expose Gaps in Teaching Academic Discussion Skills to EAP Undergraduates

Hashim Khan — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Conventional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) curricula, particularly in contexts heavily influenced by standardized testing and a tradition of grammar-translation, often inadequately address the complex cognitive and pragmatic demands of spontaneous academic discussion. This pedagogical gap results in a persistent disconnect between students' receptive knowledge and their productive capabilities, specifically manifesting as an inability to balance fluency with accuracy in oral academic discourse.

Objective: This study critically evaluates the efficacy of a standard EAP curriculum by designing and implementing a diagnostic, short-term master class. The research aims to determine if significant, rapid improvement in students' spoken output following this focused intervention highlights inherent and fundamental flaws in the traditional, long-term teaching methodology.

Method: A one-group pre-test-post-test design was employed with a cohort of 10 sixth-semester EAP undergraduates at a major Russian university. Baseline measurements of fluency (quantified through speech rate, mean length of run, and phonation time ratio) and accuracy (measured by the percentage of error-free clauses and correct verb forms) were established. A 35-day master class, explicitly designed to incorporate pedagogical elements missing from the standard curriculum (task-based learning, explicit strategy instruction, genre awareness, and scaffolded pragmatic practice), was then implemented. An identical post-test assessed the impact of the intervention.

Findings: Quantitative analysis revealed statistically significant improvements (p < .001) with large effect sizes (Cohen's d > 1.1) across all five dependent variables post-intervention. Qualitative analysis of discussion transcripts further evidenced a marked increase in the appropriate use of discourse markers, formulaic sequences, and effective self-monitoring strategies.

Conclusion: The rapid and substantial gains achieved through the master class serve as a powerful indictment of the standard curriculum. The findings demonstrate conclusively that the current approach is insufficiently explicit, strategic, and pragmatic, failing to equip students with the necessary socio-cognitive tools for academic discussion. The study concludes by proposing a comprehensive, revised pedagogical framework for EAP instruction, advocating for the integration of these missing elements to systematically foster robust academic oral proficiency.

Institutionalized Patriarchy in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper: Analysis from Millett’s Perspective

Faisal Ibrahim, Jannat Fatima, Ayesha Saddique — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research paper presents a feminist re-evaluation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper (1892), in the context of Kate Millett theory of patriarchy, proposed in Sexual Politics (2000). In the context of this research study, a qualitative and interpretive research design is used, and thus it undertakes close textual analysis of Gilman story and feminist scholarship. Purposive sampling technique is employed to select the variable and sample of the study. This study finds its foundation in Kate Millett s Sexual Politics (2000), feminist analysis of discourse formulated by Treichler (1984), feminist history of medicine by Showalter (1987) and Stiles (2011), and feminist reception history and the history of the book by Dock (1998).

The findings demonstrate that medical discourse, which is expressed in the role of the physician-husband as a man of authority, imposes epistemic silence and dependence. The use of domestic architecture to incorporate carceral power into the domestic sphere can be found in several aspects: the nursery-turned-sickroom, as well as its wall paper and its unpredictable pattern. The diary that the narrator writes in secret can be viewed as a counter-discursive practice: she creates an independent domain of her own in the context of an arrangement that pathologies her sense of agency as madness. Feminist reception history further shows that the feminist influence of the story is mediated by both publishing and pedagogical institutions hence being given a direction by these. Although the study does validate the thesis of Millett that patriarchy is internalized in cultural and intimacy structure, it also requires an intersectional extension that includes race, class, and embodiment in the Milman’s cultural context.

The English Pronunciation of Senior English Teachers in Public Sector Schools of District Dir Lower: An Analytical Study of Major Errors in the Articulation of English Diphthongs and Underlying Factors

Dr. Gul Zamin Khan, Dr. Islam Badshah, Dr. Shaukat Ali — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Mastering the English pronunciation, especially the segmental phonology, has always been challenging for Pakhtoon learners because of the variations in the phonological systems of Pashto and English. The research reported here has its origin in the observation that many Pakhtoon learners of English as a second language have major difficulties with English pronunciation, often even after years of English lessons, with concomitant major disadvantages in all areas of life, notably in their academic endeavours and employment. This observation, combined with the observation that many English language teachers have major problems with English pronunciation themselves, prompted a proposal to systematically unravel the major pronunciation errors made by senior English teachers at the segmental level and identify the main factors responsible for these errors, and to give recommendations for improving the situation. This study has been theorised in Markedness Differential Hypothesis (MDH). The project involved a survey based on questionnaires and interviews with Senior English Teachers, who teach English in public sector schools in District Dir Lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan). The study established that the Senior English Teachers (SETs) do make errors at the segmental level in their English pronunciation, and that the major factors responsible for their incorrect pronunciation are L1 transfer and lack of knowledge about English phonology.

The Potency of One Voice: Malala Yousafzai's Struggle for Empowering Education in the Third Space of Resistance

Sana Fatima Alvi , Saira Sajid, Muhammad Numan Amjad, Sahar Sultan — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study is based on Malala Yousafzai's autobiography that recounts her incredible experience as a young girl in Pakistan who struggled for girl's education to reach an iconic figure of fortitude and defiance. The interplay of cultural belonging obstruction and barrier negotiation is the primary emphasis of this paper by using Malala's story employing Homi K. Bhabha's Third Space Theory. Third Space Theory presents an innovative viewpoint for recognizing how Malala deals the complex disparities between her Pashtun heritage and the wider worldwide debate about defense and education. In the light of qualitative research, the study analyses text of I am Malala, by employing Homi K. Bhabha's Third Space Theory, which explores the Malala's narrative in a broader context of postcolonial identity and her potential to undermine patriarchal system and develops new possibilities for empowerment with education. The findings highlight the importance of transformative arenas in gender empowerment, educational access, and the reconstruction of postcolonial identity, emphasizing Malala's contribution in addressing cultural issues and promoting gender equality and education by Third Space Theory. It indicates profound impact of education in challenging gendered oppression and transforming identity as exhibited by Malala's struggle in the conservative Swat region.

Beyond Stereotypes: Discursive Reclamation and World-Building in Africanfuturist Literature

Anila Afzal, Dr. Fatima Zafar — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the transformative potential of Africanfuturist literature as a powerful counter-hegemonic discourse that challenges reductive Western stereotypes of Africa while constructing visionary, self-determined futures. It employs Positive Discourse Analysis (PDA) as the analytical framework to move beyond thematic critique and explore the linguistic and narrative mechanisms through which this discursive transformation is achieved. Through a qualitative methodology of close reading applied to a purposively selected set of five seminal novels— Okorafor’s Lagoon and Binti, Thompson’s Rosewater, Wood’s Azanian Bridges, and Serpell’s The Old Drift— the analysis reveals a coherent discourse of narrative reclamation. The findings demonstrate that these texts collectively dismantle four persistent stereotypes—technological backwardness, ahistoricity, cultural monolithism, and passive victimhood—through a simultaneous process of deconstruction and reconstruction. At the same time, they construct an alternative archive by centring African epistemologies as advanced frameworks for knowledge, reclaiming non-linear temporalities, and validating complex agency and hybrid identities. The study concludes that Africanfuturism operates as a vehicle of narrative sovereignty, offering not only a critique of the past but also visions for inclusive and decolonial futures. In doing so, it makes a significant intervention in contemporary global discourse.

Ontological Exclusion and Decolonial Shakespeare Pedagogy in Pakistan: Appropriation, Digital Humanities, and the Challenge to Western Epistemologies

Dr Zakia Resshid, Dr Shahzeb Khan — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the redefinition of Shakespearean literature in Pakistan through decolonial pedagogy that emphasizes appropriation and positive deinstitutionalization. It examines how educators in Pakistani academia are reorienting perspectives away from colonial paradigms by embedding Shakespeare’s works in local contexts and indigenous epistemologies. Such an approach challenges the ontological exclusion inherent in colonial education systems, transforming Shakespeare from a symbol of Western canon into a catalyst for intellectual agency and cultural dialogue. By appropriating Shakespeare within localized frameworks, the research highlights a pedagogical shift that dismantles entrenched colonial structures and begins to decolonize the humanities, offering a new vision for what the humanities can achieve in a postcolonial society. Furthermore, the analysis illustrates how contemporary strategies—performance-based teaching, digital humanities tools, and comparative literature approaches—are being leveraged to challenge Western epistemological frameworks in literary education. For instance, staging Shakespeare in local languages and contexts (e.g. Punjabi adaptations) serves as an act of epistemological resistance, using performance to break away from the mimetic colonial models and make Shakespeare relevant to local audiences. Similarly, integrating digital humanities platforms allows students to interrogate Shakespeare’s texts beyond Western epistemologies, uncovering hidden narratives and creating inclusive interpretive spaces. Comparative approaches that teach Shakespeare alongside Pakistani and global literatures further deinstitutionalize colonial mindsets by fostering plural epistemologies and critical inquiry. Together, these innovations in decolonial pedagogy address historical power imbalances – removing “Western blinkers” and redressing ontological exclusion – by validating multiple ways of knowing and being. In doing so, this signals a broader transformation in postcolonial humanities scholarship and literary criticism: it reimagines the role of the humanities in Pakistani academia as a dynamic, emancipatory field that transcends colonial legacies and engages directly with local cultural realities and global intellectual currents.

Conceptual Metaphors and Cultural Cognition in Farzana Aqib’s Who Are You: A Cognitive-Linguistic Analysis

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research paper explores the cognitive and conceptual metaphors embedded in Farzana Aqib’s poem Who Are You, employing George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s (1980) Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) as its theoretical framework. The study examines how Aqib’s poetic language transforms abstract spiritual and psychological experiences into tangible metaphoric expressions that reflect self-awareness, inner conflict, and divine connection. Through a detailed textual analysis, the poem reveals recurrent conceptual mappings such as SELF-AS-MIRROR, LIFE-AS-JOURNEY, and GOD-AS-LIGHT, which frame the poet’s quest for identity and transcendence. Situated within the Pakistani socio-cultural context, the poem mirrors the struggle of individuals to find authenticity amid societal judgment, moral surveillance, and collective hypocrisy (Akhtar, 2021; Rauf, 2019). Aqib’s metaphors serve as mental models that shape the reader’s perception of reality and spirituality in a conservative yet evolving society. The study highlights how metaphoric cognition in Pakistani English poetry becomes a tool for negotiating faith, morality, and selfhood. By integrating cognitive linguistics with literary interpretation, this paper contributes to the growing scholarship on South Asian English literature and its cognitive dimensions (Gibbs, 2017; Kövecses, 2020), offering insight into how metaphor operates as both a linguistic and cultural bridge between thought and emotion.

Discourse and Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad’s Speech at the UN Security Council

Aziz Ullah Khan, Tariq Mehmood, Dr Ihsan Ullah Khan, Asad Muhammad Khan — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study analyzes Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad’s speech at the United Nations Security Council on 12 September 2025 using Fairclough’s 3D Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework. The purpose is to explore how language is used to present Israel as an aggressor and Pakistan as a responsible peace-loving state. The data for this study was collected from the video of the speech and transcribed into text. A qualitative approach was used, focusing on vocabulary, grammar, repetition, metaphors, and rhetorical devices at the text level, the production and distribution of the speech at the discourse practice level, and broader political and ideological issues at the social practice level. The findings show that the speech uses strong negative labels for Israel and positive self-representation for Pakistan, highlighting power relations, anti-occupation ideology, and calls for global justice. The study concludes that political speeches at the UN are not only diplomatic statements but also acts of power that shape international opinion.

The Misogynistic Language and Traditional Roles: A Feminist Stylistics Study of Two Pakistani Dramas “Zindagi Gulzar Hai (2013) and Teray Bin (2023)

Aleena A. Qayoom Shaikh — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Since 2018, the women's movement in Pakistan has experienced a resurgence, promoting discourse on women's rights, gender roles and stereotypes. The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the representation of women from a linguistic perspective in Pakistani broadcast drama serials, examining whether the linguistic representation of gender roles projected onto female characters has undergone evolution. This study employs a feminist analysis of two Pakistani dramas from private television channels, named “Zindagi Gulzar Hai”, representing the early 2010s and ‘’Teray bin”, representing the early 2020s. This research utilises the framework of feminist stylistics by Sara Mills to unveil the biases embedded in misogynistic language. The study examined the verbal discrimination depicting misogynistic language used to trivialise women and uphold male supremacy. The findings have found the use of misogynistic language through the lexical, phrasal, sentential and discourse levels, used in a manner to downplay women’s labour and restrict them to the stereotypes of femininity imposed by the patriarchal standards.

Linguistic Capital and the Class Divide: An Analysis of English Proficiency as Economic Currency in Pakistan

Hashim Khan — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: In Pakistan, English language proficiency operates as a critical form of cultural capital, directly influencing socio-economic mobility and perpetuating class divisions. This study investigates the role of English as linguistic capital within Pakistan's stratified society, examining how it functions as a gatekeeping mechanism in education and employment.

Objective: The research aims to empirically demonstrate how English proficiency, acquired through specific educational pathways, is converted into economic advantage, thereby creating a self-perpetuating cycle of social reproduction.

Method: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed, triangulating data from three sources: a critical discourse analysis of 300 job advertisements from high-prestige sectors (IT, Banking/Finance, MNCs); a quantitative survey of 200 university students assessing perceptions of English and economic mobility; and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 35 professionals from varied socio-linguistic backgrounds.

Findings: Quantitative analysis revealed a strong positive correlation (r = .72, p < .01) between English-medium education and perceived access to elite careers. Discourse analysis demonstrated that "communication skills" function as a metonym for elite English proficiency in 98% of high-status job advertisements. Qualitative analysis identified a "linguistic glass ceiling" and "accent premium" that systematically advantage graduates of elite institutions.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that English proficiency in Pakistan operates as a powerful mechanism of social reproduction, where economic capital begets linguistic capital, which in turn secures further economic advantage. The study concludes by proposing a multi- tiered policy framework for educational reform and corporate practice to mitigate this structural inequity.

Intra-Action of Objects as Symbols of Cultural Heritage in Mirza Waheed's The Book of Gold Leaves

Rabia Ijaz, Sarah Abdullah — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article analyzes the intra-active dynamics between human experience and material culture in Mirza Waheed's novel, The Book of Gold Leaves (2014) with particular focus on the role of objects and spaces in the constitution of cultural meaning. With Karen Barad's Agential realism theory, this study examines how cultural artifacts like papier-mâché, karaqul, 'Falaknuma,' chinar leaves, pheran, and monolithic buildings like Shankaracharya and Pari Mahal impact memory, identity, and cultural continuity in Waheed's novel. They are not mere objects; they are embodiments of history, family origin, and religiosity and show how human feelings, history, and geography actively participate in the cultural heritage. At a broader level, the story itself, as a work of cultural heritage, is an act of artistic preservation since it keeps the textures of Kashmiri culture such as its art, language, and rituals alive in the midst of erasure and overwriting.

Personal Becomes Collective: Construction of Collective Memory in Susan Abdulhawa’s novel Mornings in Jenin

Urooj Waheed, Ammara Sarfraz — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Personal memories maintain their existence by keeping on appearing in repeated recollections of the given event and by testifying to their authenticity through a constant process of sharing. Different people with a shared past maintain this shared memory by telling and retelling their personal stories, and on the basis of common traces, a collective narrative is built. The current article deals with the construction of collective memory through repeated remembrance of a shared past in Susan Abulhawa’s novel Mornings in Jenin. The article has employed the theory of Collective Memory by Maurice Halbwachs to explain the process of remembrance under the impact of the present condition of the characters. Using the guiding principles of the theory, the researcher has highlighted the collectively built narrative of the Palestinian exodus of 1948 and its transmission to post-Nakba generations as a source of collective identity. The article maintains the stance that older characters in the novel build a collective narrative of the past through careful remembrance and allow the members of the given community to identify with this collective knowledge.

A Comprehensive Socio-phonetic Study of the Plosive /p/ and Fricative /f/ Merger among Pashto Speakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Hashim Khan, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: The phonological systems of a first language (L1) can fundamentally constrain the acquisition of a second language (L2), particularly in speech sound perception and production. In Pashto-English bilinguals, the absence of the voiceless labiodental fricative /f/ in the L1 inventory theoretically predicts a merger with the voiceless bilabial plosive /p/, a phenomenon anecdotally observed but lacking robust empirical validation. Existing models of second language acquisition often inadequately integrate sociolinguistic factors, resulting in an incomplete understanding of how such phonological features are embedded and vary within a speech community.

Objective: This study critically investigates the /f/-/p/ merger among Pashto speakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, by employing a mixed-methods sociophonetic approach. The research aims to determine the systematic nature of the merger in both production and perception and to evaluate whether its social distribution reveals a change in progress, thereby highlighting limitations in purely cognitive models of phonological acquisition.

Method: A stratified sample of 60 native Pashto speakers, balanced for age, gender, and education, participated in an explanatory sequential design. Baseline production data was collected via word-list and passage reading tasks and analyzed acoustically (Voice Onset Time, spectral moments). Perception was tested through identification and discrimination tasks. A multiple regression analysis predicted a composite 'Merger Index' from sociolinguistic variables, and post-experiment interviews provided qualitative data on metalinguistic awareness.

Findings: Quantitative analysis revealed a robust production merger, with a 74% substitution rate of /p/ for /f/, and significant perceptual confusion (identification accuracy = 59.5%). Regression analysis identified age (β = .61, p < .001) and education level (β = .28, p = .008) as significant predictors of the merger. Qualitative evidence further indicated limited metalinguistic awareness and emerging social stigma associated with the vernacular variant.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate conclusively that the /f/-/p/ merger is a systematic feature of Pashto-English, driven by L1 transfer and modulated by social identity. The study concludes by proposing a more integrated theoretical framework for second language phonology, advocating for the incorporation of sociolinguistic principles to fully explain contact-induced phonological phenomena.

Challenges Encountered in Child First Language Acquisition and its Association with Familial Interventions, Motivation and Perception

Saman Bareen Ashraf — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research study aims at challenges encountered by children in their first language acquisition due to intervention of the families, motivation and perception. The objectives of the research are an ordered acquisition of language in children. The purpose of research is to work on phonological acquisition. The purpose is to inculcate various procedures, principles and rules for acquisition of language in various critical circumstances. A qualitative research methodology is adopted in this research in which the research instrument is a survey method. The survey consists of 30 items which were analyzed and were given to respondents. The respondents consisted of parents of infants or children. Hence, it was found that children face behavioral difficulties. In case of Developmental Language Disorders children can be affected socially. The development of thought is related to developmental stage. There must be a collaboration between behavior, interaction and a measured environment. Child exposed to a social interaction may lead to Child language Acquisition. The discrimination of both languages is an exposure to learning. A proper place is required for development of child. Children are motivated both internally and externally. The children need interaction for Language Acquisition. Child language acquisition is affected by personal factors. The gaining of an input is due to complexity and attitudes are favorable. A proper information is required for Child language acquisition. Production is precepted by input and its multimodality is perceived by children. Language growth is cultural experience which is multifaceted. It implies that a language refers to form of communication. Interactions make language learning comprehensible. The cognition skill at a high level is acceptable by children. There are individual desires and needs which facilitate interaction.

Lexical Creativity in Feminine Brand Names: A Morphological Perspective

Saira Shahid, Dr Aamir Aziz, Amina Bashir — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to investigate the types of word formation processes and lexical creativity in the naming of feminine brands in Pakistan. The study uses a 90-word corpus of brand names collected from fashion, beauty and skincare industries. Using a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, the research categorizes and analyses the brand names through a morphological perspective, focusing on the word formation patterns and language combinations used. The findings reveal five type of word formation processes namely compounding, blending, derivation and inflection, acronyms and initialism. Compounding is the most frequent process used in the names and contributes to innovative as well as culturally resonant brand identities. Brands incorporate not only English as their primary language for their names but also use creative languages like Greek, French, Persian and Korean to stand out in the complex competitive market. The present study is significant as it provides a detailed morphological perspective on how brand naming practices intersect with gendered marketing and lexical innovation in a multilingual context.

Context-Aware Sentiment Analysis Using Long Short-Term Memory

Maryam Mehmood, Asad Ijaz, Tayyaba Tabeer, Marium Azad — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The manual analysis of extensive textual datasets poses substantial challenges due to its time-consuming nature. Sentiment analysis through machine learning is an automated technique that efficiently detects positive and negative sentiments in text, providing understandings from social media comments, survey responses, and product reviews to support data-driven decisions. This research implements sentiment analysis using word embedding and LSTM to process unstructured text, optimizing understanding with minimum manual effort, it excels at managing large datasets, this approach is applied to text reviews and achieved the accuracy of 86.30%. Built on the foundations Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and LSTM model showcases superior performance in sentiment classification. Future research will explore diverse embedding models and broader datasets to further enhance the model's versatility and precision.

Modal Verbs and Ideological Positioning in the General Election Manifestos of Pakistani Political Parties: A Critical Stylistic Approach

Yasmin Akhtar , Prof. Dr Sarwet Rasul — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The present study examines the linguistic resource of modality in the 2018 general election manifestos of four major political parties, namely, the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The analysis focuses on how these political parties position themselves and their opponents in their 2018 general election manifestos through the strategic use of modality, primarily expressed through modal verbs. The study further investigates how these political parties articulate obligations, commitments, probabilities, and assumptions, etc., through modality. The data are examined through a mixed-methods mode of inquiry combining corpus tools Antconc (4.3.1) and the textual-conceptual function of hypothesising from the Critical Stylistic framework proposed by Jefferies (2014). The frequency and distribution patterns of modality identified through corpus tools are rendered to a deeper qualitative analysis to uncover the ideological meanings encoded through modality. The results of the study demonstrate a noticeable variation in the frequency and preferred types of modal verbs across the selected political parties, with the dominant use of the modal verbs ‘will & would’. The qualitative interpretation of these modal verbs indicates their strategic use to project a positive self-image and highlights the failures and weaknesses of their political rivals. Overall, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of a mixed-methods approach to uncover ideological patterns in political texts and contributes to the growing scholarship on Pakistani political discourse.

Symbolic Semiotics of Gendered Spirituality: A Comparative Rhetorical Analysis of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love

Munazza Batool Tahir, Prof. Dr. Naveed Ahmad — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the comparative representation of spirituality through symbolic semiotics in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love. Drawing upon Charles Sanders Peirce’s Triadic Model of Semiotics, the study examines how symbols such as the desert, wind, treasure, omens, and alchemy in The Alchemist, and the reed flute, companionship, whirling dervishes, and the Forty Rules in Shafak’s novel, signify deeper metaphysical and spiritual meanings. The analysis investigates how masculine-coded spirituality in Coelho’s text is manifested through external pilgrimage, individual destiny, and rational interpretation of signs, whereas Shafak employs feminine-coded spirituality rooted in emotional transformation, Sufi philosophy, divine love, and relational semiotics. The paper concludes that while both narratives represent spirituality as a developmental journey towards transcendence, their symbolic systems, rhetorical strategies, and interpretations differ substantially based on narrative voice, spiritual ideology, and gendered symbolism.

From Home to High Status: A Corpus-Based Examination of Code-Switching and Language Loss in Pakistan

Hina Tahir, Dr. Naveed Nawaz Ahmad , Dr. Rabia Faiz , Dr. Hafiz Ahmad Bilal — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study reveals how language shift and language loss are happening in Pakistan. It focuses on the role of English as a prestigious language among students and the society. The research concerns the increasing dominance of English in education, media and social life which raises concern about the future of regional languages. The study helps to understand how code switching between English, Urdu and regional languages affects people’s identities and fuels the loss of regional languages. Analysis of WhatsApp conversations, class debates, family and daily conversations, news, social media posts and interviews are the sources of data collection gathered from university students and community people. In order to analyze patterns of language use and the impact of English as a prestigious language, the study employs corpus based strategies to estimate how frequently people move between languages and under what circumstances. The results demonstrate that English is prominently considered a language of social mobility, education and status. Societies continuously switch to English in academic and professional settings while regional languages are increasingly limited to home or informal use still with a mixture of English language. This indicates that code-switching is not just a communication strategy but also a factor facilitating language shift and language loss. The study concludes that English holds a powerful role as a prestigious language in Pakistan shaping identity while declining the regional languages. These findings have important implications for education and language policy suggesting that steps are taken to support regional languages and recognizing the practical use of the English language.

Gendered Spiritual Consciousness and Narrative Identity: A Comparative Study of Transformative Spirituality in Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ and Elif Shafak’s ‘The Forty Rules of Love’

Munazza Batool Tahir, Prof. Dr. Naveed Ahmad — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research paper examines the evolution of gendered spiritual consciousness and narrative identity in Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemis’ and Elif Shafak’s ‘The Forty Rules of Love’. While both novels depict spirituality as a transformative journey, their narrative constructions differ significantly in tone, structure, and philosophical grounding. Coelho’s narrative presents spirituality through a masculine-coded paradigm of external quest, destiny, intuition, and cosmic purpose, whereas Shafak foregrounds a feminine-coded spiritual consciousness rooted in emotional awakening, divine love, and relational experience. Drawing from narrative theory, gender studies, Sufi metaphysics, symbolic semiotics, and literary hermeneutics, this paper analyzes how both texts construct spiritual identity through narrative structure, character development, symbolic encounters, and metaphysical reflection. The study argues that spiritual consciousness in both novels develops through narrative self-making, where characters reinterpret their identities in light of their metaphysical experiences. The paper contributes to comparative spirituality scholarship by highlighting how gendered narrative frameworks shape literary representations of spiritual awakening.

Evaluating Association of Universal Grammar as Self-Explanatory Principles and Rules with First Language Learning and Acquisition

Saman Bareen Ashraf — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The research study aims at evaluating association of Universal Grammar as self-explanatory principles and rules with first language learning and acquisition. The objectives of the research are analyzing universal grammar, an identification of an acquisition association and exposition of Universal grammar competence and performance. It aims at influences of environment and culture, interactionism, innate and cultural practices, effects of colonization and migration, new vocabulary and a language template. The purpose of the research is to propose a leading dichotomy of L1 and L2. In this research study, a qualitative research methodology is used. The research instrument is survey which is comprised of ten close-ended questions with the answers of either “Yes” or “No”. The survey was analyzed and was assessed on numerical values. These responses were later, preceded by a detailed discussion of journals and conference papers. Hence, it was found that environment and cultural influences as well as interaction are an essential part of gaining language due to Universal Grammar. Migration and colonization discourage an acquisition of language. The universal language properties are distinguished in attaining a language. The study implies that a native language is affected by critical period hypothesis. There is an establishment of connections whose focus is attention between the critical period. The other variations are paying attention and language teaching. The theory of psychology implies an addition of stimulus response. An emphasized role of Universal Grammar is getting knowledge. It also implies the choice of competence and performance.

Using AI for Academic Writing: Perceptions of Students from Universities of Lahore

Saadia Shahzad, Naureen Zaman — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of undergraduate students about using artificial intelligence for academic writing in the private universities of Lahore, Pakistan. Using a quantitative research methodology, the data were collected through questionnaire responses from 313 students. Key findings indicate that a significant proportion of students (99%) believe AI tools to be useful; however, a prominent concern also surfaced that it hinders their learning and impact their creative thought processes. The findings emphasize that while AI may be a way of helping students in managing their tasks more efficiently and with less stress; it simultaneously erodes critical engagement and creativity. This research contributes to the limited literature on the use of AI tools within Pakistan's higher education offering valuable insights for stake holders. The study recommends AI integration within curricula and provide a structure to safeguard academic integrity and inculcating genuine learning.

The Transition from Sovereign Torture to Digital Spectacle: A Genealogical Study of The Spinner’s Tale and The Election

Ambreen Bibi, Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault charts the historical displacement of the "spectacle of the scaffold" by the invisible mechanisms of disciplinary power. However, the digital age has disrupted this linear trajectory, facilitating a return to the spectacle as a central apparatus of governance. This article employs a genealogical framework to analyze the mutation of the spectacle in Omar Shahid Hamid’s postcolonial fiction, specifically The Spinner’s Tale (2015) and The Election (2024). By integrating the concepts of Sovereign Power, Governmentality, and Biopolitics, this study argues that the spectacle has re-emerged not as an archaic relic, but as a sophisticated political technology. The analysis reveals a bifurcation in this return: The Spinner’s Tale illustrates the resurrection of sovereign terror, where the militant Ausi reclaims the right to kill through the digital broadcast of execution, creating a regime of truth rooted in shock. Conversely, The Election depicts a neoliberal "spectacle of entertainment," where media moguls manage the "field of visibility" to manufacture political consent, transforming the electorate into commodified data points. Ultimately, this research demonstrates that the transition from sovereign torture to digital spectacle represents a refinement of control, where the political subject is no longer merely disciplined but governed through the strategic production of visual reality.

Feminist Discourse in Urdu Poetry: A Sociolinguistic Study of Parveen Shakir’s Poetry

Munazza Batool Tahir — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the emergence of feminist discourse in contemporary Urdu poetry through a sociolinguistic analysis of Parveen Shakir’s work, with particular focus on her collection ‘Maah-e-Tamam’ (Full Moon, 1994). The research seeks to decode and deconstruct the linguistic content of Shakir’s poetry in order to examine how patriarchy functions as a ruling ideology and how poetic language offers preferred subject positions to males and females. Drawing on feminist poststructuralist theory, especially the insights of Chris Weedon and Michel Foucault, the study explores how ideologies are constructed through discourse, how the female subject negotiates power relations within an androcentric social order, and how real women may empathise with, and be influenced by, the “literary woman” represented in Shakir’s poetry.

Using a qualitative methodology, the study analyses selected excerpts from Maah-e-Tamam, translated from Urdu into English, and interprets lexical choices, pronominal patterns and metaphoric structures as sites where gendered power relations are encoded, resisted or re-imagined. The findings suggest that Shakir’s systematic use of first-person feminine pronouns, gendered lexemes such as larki (girl), and intimate, emotionally charged images challenges the historically male-dominated Urdu poetic tradition. Her poetry foregrounds women’s lived experiences as daughters, lovers, wives, mothers and professionals, thereby destabilising stereotypical constructions of femininity.

The study concludes that Shakir’s poetic discourse plays a significant role in the development of feminist consciousness in South-Asian Urdu literature. By articulating a distinctly feminine subjectivity and exposing the workings of patriarchy in everyday life, her poetry offers readers new ways of imagining female agency within Pakistani society.

Exploring Women’s Voices: Gender, Empowerment, and Self-Representation in Pakistani English Novels

Khadijah Waheed, Fouzia Phyllis Amroun, Attiya Ijaz — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study analyzes how modern Pakistani English novels develop, negotiate, and enhance women's voices via the interrelated themes of gender, empowerment, and self-representation. The research employs postcolonial feminism and narrative theory to examine selected novels by notable Pakistani authors, revealing how female characters manoeuvre over socio-cultural limitations and express their agency within patriarchal frameworks. The research employs a qualitative textual analysis technique, demonstrating that Pakistani English literature has progressively transitioned from depicting women as passive subjects to illustrating them as multifaceted, self-aware persons endowed with emotional resilience, intellectual autonomy, and social defiance. The results indicate that women's self-representation in literature is influenced by conflicts between tradition and modernity, cultural expectations and individual aspirations, as well as oppression and empowerment. The research indicates that these books provide a vital literary space for the construction of alternative gender narratives, allowing women to recover the power to determine their identities. These depictions not only challenge traditional conceptions of Pakistani women but also make substantial contributions to global feminist and postcolonial literary debate. The study emphasizes the significance of scholarly analysis in comprehending gendered experiences and illustrates the transformative impact of Pakistani English literature in constructing inclusive cultural narratives.

A Corpus-Based Critical Discourse Analysis of Speech Acts in Pakistan’s National Education Policy 2025

Dr. Kalsoom Jahan, Ammara Afzaal, Uzma Safdar — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the discursive construction of ideologies and social cognition in Pakistan’s National Education Policy Development Framework 2024 (NEPDF 2024) through a corpus-based critical discourse analysis grounded in van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach (1993, 1998)and Fairclough’s three-dimensional model (1995). Drawing on Searle’s Speech Act Theory and van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis, the research examines the linguistic choices within the policy text that perform communicative actions and construct ideological meanings. A corpus of the NEPDF 2024 document was compiled and processed using AntConc as the sole analytical tool. Frequency, concordance, and collocation analyses were conducted to identify recurrent performative and modal structures that signal key speech acts. These linguistic patterns were then classified into five major categories: directives, commissives, assertives, expressives, and declarations. The findings reveal that the policy predominantly relies on directive and commissive speech acts to construct institutional authority, articulate governmental commitments, and legitimize reform agendas. The policy crafts a discourse of modernization, accountability, and national development, positioning the state as the primary regulator and guarantor of educational transformation by using these three speech acts. The study contributes to corpus-assisted policy discourse analysis and offers insights into the way language performs institutional and ideological work in contemporary educational policy in Pakistan.

Prioritizing Security over Democracy: U.S. Security Assistance and Civil–Military Imbalance in Pakistan

Sundas Safdar, Dr Saima Naz, Nadia Hanif — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper will offer a systematic analysis of the influence of U.S. security aid on the political course of Pakistan claiming that the long-term satisfaction of the state security needs has destroyed the prospects of democracy. Throughout history and through the various geopolitical eras of the Cold War alliances and the 1980s anti-Soviet mobilization and 9/11 counterterrorism partnership, the U.S. policy has continued to accord priority to military and security needs and requirements, at the expense of democratic consolidation. This has led to the further installation of the military in the process of making political decisions within Pakistan, the weakening of civilian institutions and the further politicization of societal divisions.

The study has utilized a qualitative research design and uses semi-structured interviews with former political leaders, diplomats, military figures, and Pakistani scholars along with documentary analysis of policy records and secondary literature. The results indicate that the long-standing dependence on external security assistance has institutionalized the existence of a civil-military imbalance, limited the policy autonomy, and the range of independent initiatives in the regional and foreign policies of the country. The paper finds that the long-term democratization in Pakistan needs to be recalibrated in terms of the external engagements, decreasing the reliance on security-focused aid, and empowering civilian institutions to enhance the political sovereignty and democratic governance.

Reimagining Sindh’s Spiritual Heritage through Magical Realism in Bina Shah’s A Season for Martyrs

Suhail Ahmed Solangi, Murk Mari, Mahnoor Aadil Soomro — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines Bina Shah's use of magical realism in her 2014 novel A Season for Martyrs as a culturally authentic narrative technique for preserving and reimagining Sindh's Sufi spiritual heritage. Unlike magical realism as typically understood through Latin American models, Shah's approach emerges organically from Islamic mysticism and the oral traditions of Sindh province in Pakistan. Through close textual analysis of the novel's dual narrative structure—which interweaves the contemporary story of journalist Ali Sikandar with historical accounts of Sufi saints—this study demonstrates how magical realism functions not merely as a stylistic choice but as an epistemological framework aligned with Sufi phenomenology. The article argues that Shah's deployment of magical realism serves multiple functions: preserving endangered oral traditions, challenging monolithic Western representations of Pakistan, and creating a literary form that authentically reflects the lived religious experience of Sufi devotees. By comparing Shah's techniques with those of García Márquez, Salman Rushdie, and other magical realist writers, this study positions A Season for Martyrs as a significant contribution to postcolonial magical realism that demonstrates how the technique can be indigenized to express regional spiritual worldviews.

Exploring the Rhetoric of Persuasion: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Erwin Smith’s War Speech

Muhammad Abdur Rehmaan, Dr Awais Bin Wasi — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Anime is a Japanese animation style that has gained massive popularity worldwide over the last two decades. Millions of people, especially teenagers, consume anime for entertainment. But what if anime serves more than just entertainment and becomes a reflection of the society portraying the power dynamics and social constructs through the use of diction? This study addresses this very question by analysing Erwin Smith’s War Speech from Attack on Titan Anime. The study is a qualitative in approach as it provides the Textual and critical analysis of Erwin’s speech. The data for the study includes the English version of the war speech transcript attained from season 03 episode 16 of the same series. The data is analysed through using two frameworks: Fairclough’s three Dimensional model and Aristotle’s Modes of Persuasion. The findings reveal that the speech is not mere words rather a depiction of the power imbalance, social constructs and infected ideologies. The findings also reveal that Erwin’s speech is a masterclass in Aristotelian persuasion as its effect is sublime in all three categories: Ethos, Pathos and Logos. The research concludes that not only the speech is a reflection of society and power dynamics, it is also a motivation for the soldiers to overcome fear and find meaning of their lives.

Governance Reform in Pakistan: Key Challenges, Thematic Insights, and Policy Pathways

Dr Zermina Tasleem, Dr Sohail Ayaz Muhammad — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper is a synthesis of qualitative studies on governance in Pakistan, and the empirical study is conducted on the province of Punjab. Based on semi-structured interviews with top and middle-level bureaucrats, elected officials, civil society, and ordinary citizens, complemented by the analysis of documents concerning policy reports and recent indices, the paper acknowledges 5 high-leverage areas of reform, including: (1) rule of law and institutional autonomy; (2) anti-corruption and radical transparency; (3) civil service renewal and genuine devolution; (4) democratic and electoral integrity; and (5) human capital investments and digital public infrastructure. The analysis shows that the problem of governance in Pakistan is derived by interplay of structural variables, that is, elite capture, politicized accountability, poor implementation capacity, and cross-political cycle discontinuity. Although piecemeal reforms may sometimes have localised positive effects (e.g. e-governance portals, social-safety programs), economic sustainability of them is limited by political incentive and institutional vulnerability. It ends the article with a package of reform which focuses on legal protections of institutional autonomy, anti-corruption preventive efforts, local capacity-building, and digital transparency, and states that reforms bundles - sequenced and insulated - are more likely to yield sustainable governance benefits than unbundled interventions.

Post 9/11 Trauma and Memory Mapping: A Neocortical Reading of Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Javeria Urooj, Fazilat Moeen — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper discusses how post-9/11 trauma is depicted in The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid through the prism of memory and narrative cognition. The novel holds value in the post-9/11 and postcolonial literature studies. Although the vast majority of current studies cover the issues of political ideology, identity, and cultural conflict, the cognitive aspect of trauma has not been addressed properly. This paper fills that gap by discussing the impact of trauma on memory, spatial cognition, and narrative in the text. The research intends to understand the expression of trauma in terms of impaired memory functions, especially spatial memory mapping and narrative fragmentation. The study is guided by the Neurocognitive Trauma Memory Theory (NCTMT), which is based on a qualitative neurocritical close reading approach to the selected passages of the novel. The results show that the trauma in the novel is coded in the form of disjointed narration, place-based memory, time discontinuity, and emotional ambivalence. This paper claims that The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the thematic and cognitive expression of post-9/11 trauma, which demonstrates that trauma distorts memory and narrative. These results are relevant to the disciplines of literature and trauma studies, as they offer a neurocognitively based perspective on post-9/11 literature and how novels can enact trauma cognitively rather than only thematically. The methodology broadens the scope of literary analysis with the prism of memory, space, and narrative cognition, providing innovative information about the intersection of literature and neuroscience.

Code-Switching in EFL Classrooms: An Interactional Sociolinguistic Analysis of Teacher Pedagogy and Student Interaction

Ummama Wajid, Laiba Inayat, Ayesha Shehzad, Gul Faya — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study highlights the role of code-switching in English as Foreign Language Classroom (EFL) –focused on the pedagogy of a teacher and interaction between students to ensure effective learning. Drawing upon the Interactional Sociolinguistics (IS) set forth by John Joseph Gumperz, this study reveals how theoretical and methodological approach analyses the importance of code-switching in EFL classroom. Conducting different surveys of students who belong to different areas i.e. Abbotabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Gilgit are significant to comprehend the essential role of code-switching in EFL classroom. Similarly, this paper aims to elaborate the student-teacher bond, alleviate their anxiety during communication, create a conducive environment where students can easily comprehend the grammatical, functional and social aspect of the language. Considering different researchers’ critical insights, this study finds the gaps of the previous research work in which different surveys, students’ observation in EFL classroom by using code-switching have not been examined. It also underscores the challenges of the students using code-switching in EFL classroom. Recommendation and suggestions have also been included to uncover the importance of code-switching in multilingual environment and key role of a teacher in EFL classroom.

Implementing Bioprogram Hypothesis at Multilingualism and its Impact on Code-Switching for Exposed Speech Outputs

Saman Bareen Ashraf — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research study aims at implementing bioprogram hypothesis at multilingualism and its impact on code-switching for exposed outputs of speech. The objective of this research study is focusing on code-switching and its social, cultural, ecological and functional aspects. The objective is to inculcate a social status of code-switching and connect its relationship with evolution of language. This research study aims at innateness of individual using a language and code-switching. As code-switching is also called plurilingualism, therefore, there is strong connection between multilingualism and bilingualism. The research methodology for this research study is a quantitative research methodology, in which questionnaire is taken as a research instrument. The research instrument is comprised of ten close-ended items which are based on varied themes called discreet variables. There are independent variables and a dependent variable on which a research hypothesis is deduced. Hence, it is found that code-switching is dependent on multilingualism and a bioprogram hypothesis. There is a production of codeswitching which is dependent on motor-skills promotion. Code-switching is also considered as an important strategy for language teaching. It is learning process which is dependent on an innate hypothesis. Inheritability also plays an important role in acquisition of language. The research study is fully relevant to the title of the research study. Hence, it is concluded that code-switching is dependent on multilingualism after implementation of bioprogram hypothesis.

The Archaeology of Loss: Transgenerational Trauma in Susan Abulhawa's Mornings in Jenin

Mehrish Khan, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the representation of transgenerational trauma in Susan Abulhawa's Mornings in Jenin, focusing on how the traumatic experiences of the 1948 Nakba continue to affect Palestinian identity and collective memory across generations. Using Hirsch’s trauma theory as the theoretical framework, the research examines how trauma is not a singular event but a fragmented and persistent experience that is passed down through familial and cultural narratives. Through a close reading of the novel, the study investigates the ways in which characters like Dalia inherit and confront the psychological and emotional scars of their ancestors, highlighting the non-linear narrative structure as a reflection of the cyclical nature of trauma. The research further underscores the significance of collective memory in shaping Palestinian identity, illustrating how the trauma of displacement and loss continues to resonate within the Palestinian community. By analyzing the literary portrayal of transgenerational trauma, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the psychological, emotional, and cultural impacts of historical violence, offering insights into the role of literature in processing, remembering, and resisting historical injustice.

Gender Representation through Conceptual Metaphors in Pakistani Literary Discourse: A Study of Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid

Tehreem Ijaz, Dr. Muhammad Yousaf — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research work aims to explore the differences and similarities among conceptual metaphors used for male and female genders in Pakistani society and thus, compare and contrast the conceptualization of both genders prevailing in our country. The theoretical framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) has been followed in this work and the method of Content Analysis has been used. As far as the sample of this study is concerned, Mohsin Hamid’s novel Moth Smoke serves the purpose. The fact that Moth Smoke has been written by a Pakistani writer within Pakistani context provides the basis for assuming it to be an appropriate source of the required data. The results formulated on the basis of the selected metaphors reveal that in our society, male and female genders are conceptualized differently and hence, are assigned different roles. For instance, male gender is considered to be dominant and men are expected to feed their families by earning well and maintaining strong social relations. On the other hand, female gender is considered to be submissive and women are supposed to look after their families and play their part in nurturing others. The results of the present work may prove to be useful for the researchers planning to study the role of conceptual metaphors in perception of gender and the use of these metaphors in literature for representing gender.

An Ecolinguistic Analysis of Human-Nature Relationships in Pakistani English Press.: A Case Study of Dawn’s Editorials

Hamna Zainab Noor, Dr Awais Bin Wasi — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century with alarming escalating threats to environment, human survival along with the socio-economic stability. The current study examines how climate related disasters are constructed in Pakistani media, particularly focusing on Dawn editorials published in August 2025. By using Arran Stibbe’s Ecolinguistic Stories Framework, the research investigates how language shapes human nature relationships, fosters ecological awareness and the way it reinforces and challenges unsustainable ideologies. Through the qualitative analysis of editorials it is obvious that recurring patterns emerge, there is juxtaposition of destructive narratives and the linguistic strategies employed for moral accountability and the urgency of ecological intervention. The findings demonstrate the potential of media discourse in shaping public understanding of climate crises and promoting ecological responsibility. The study also contributes to ecolinguistics by applying Stibbe’s framework to Pakistani media highlighting how language mediates both ethical and practical dimensions of human–nature relationships in a climate-vulnerable context.

Youth and Political Movements in Pakistan: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

Dr Saima Naz, Dr Zil E Huma Rafique — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The history of the involvement of youth in the political campaigns in Pakistan is discussed in this paper, starting with the student revolution of 1968, the Lawyers Movement (2007), and the current digital-era activism by the PTI and the 2020s campaign and movement. The analysis of the strategies, patterns of mobilization, and the influence of young people on political expression and election is conducted using archival sources, media, and social media texts using a historical comparative approach and a qualitative methodology. The results indicate that whereas in the early activism efforts were largely based on physical mobilization and ideological backing, new youth activism is increasingly turning to digital platforms to undertake political work, challenge the narrative, and shape policy. Although there is a democratizing potential of social media, challenges such as polarization, misinformation, and unequal participation are also mentioned in the study. This study combines historical continuity with the current trends, and thus, the study will be useful not only to scholars interested in youth political participation in developing democracies but also to policy makers, educators and other stakeholders in civil society who would want to ensure that the youth participate in the development process positively.

Exploring the Role of Digital Transformation and Integration in Modern Education

Meerab Ayoub, Javed Manan, Tahir Shah — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The fast growth of digital technologies has changed educational systems all over the world in a big way, changing how teaching, learning, and administration work in the 21st century. This research examines the impact of digital transformation and integration on the evolution of contemporary education, focusing on the opportunities and challenges encountered by educational institutions in both developed and developing settings. Utilizing secondary data and qualitative literature analysis from 2020 to 2024, this paper investigates the impact of digital tools, platforms, and pedagogical innovations on the improvement of learning experiences, institutional efficiency, and accessibility. The study emphasizes that successful digital integration involves more than just using technology; it necessitates systemic transformation, enhancement of professional competencies, and the cultivation of digital literacy among both educators and students. The results show that institutions that are open to digital transformation are better at adapting, being inclusive, and coming up with new ideas in their teaching. But there are still problems like not enough infrastructure, not wanting to change, and unequal access to technology, especially in places with few resources. The paper stresses the importance of strategic leadership, policy coherence, and fair implementation frameworks to make sure that digital transformation helps education grow in a way that lasts. Ultimately, the study enhances comprehension of how education systems can leverage digital integration not merely as a technological transition but as a comprehensive transformation that aligns with human-centered values, promoting lifelong learning, inclusivity, and global competitiveness in the digital era.

The Effectiveness of Teaching Vocabulary through Synonym-Based Instruction in A Quasi-Experimental Study at The Secondary Level

Rabia Alam, Dr Ishfaque Ahmed Abbasi, Mehr un Nisa — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The current quasi-experimental research tested the effectiveness of synonym-based instruction in stimulating the ESL vocabulary acquisition among the students of secondary level. A total of 60 Grade 9 students were split into an experimental group of students using synonym-centred vocabulary tasks and enhanced using digital tools and a control group of students receiving traditional methods of vocabulary memorization. Paired and independent sample t-tests were used to analyze pretest- posttest vocabulary score, and post-intervention survey was conducted to obtain the perception of students toward the instructional approach. Results showed a statistically significant difference between the performance of the experimental group at the end of the experiment and the control group because of the fact that the instruction based on synonyms allowed achieving a higher level of lexical comprehension, word-wise memory, and contextual application of words. The results of the surveys also indicated a high degree of engagement, motivation, and confidence in students who had been subjected to the strategy, especially in the essay usage of the new vocabulary and in the classroom. In general, the research proves the overall positive cognitive and affective benefits of synonym-based instruction in comparison to traditional vocabulary instruction and has a high potential of supplementing ESL instruction at the high school level.

Human–Nature Conflict and Environmental Ethics in Sarah Orne Jewett’s ‘A White Heron’: An Ecocritical Study”

Saima Anwar Dhamyal, Muhammad Adnan, Dr. Samreen Anjum, Ambreen Bibi — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Ecocriticism is described as the analysis of the interaction between literature and the physical environment, which offers a critical approach to nature in bringing literary texts into perception, shaping and questioning how human beings understand the nature and moral calls to duty. The study uses the ecocritical theory in conjunction with ecofeminism, deep ecology, and posthumanism theory to analyze Sarah Orne Jewett’s A White Heron in terms of the ethical and ecological implications set within the text. The method used for this research is qualitative method as textual analysis. The study explores the role of interaction of the protagonist Sylvia with the forest and the unusual white heron in the development of moral consciousness, agency of ethics, and relational responsibility towards nonhuman life through a qualitative text based analysis. This study addresses three main goals: first, to see the ways the story presents human-nature relations and promotes an ecological awareness; second, to understand the ethical potential of the moral decisions made by Sylvia and her devotion to the nonhuman life; and third, to explore how the ecological ethics and ethical self-reflection are reflected through literary devices, including imagery, symbolism, narrative view, and tone. The results show that the by Jewett does not only emphasize the inherent worthiness of the natural world but also incorporates ecofeminist and posthumanism aspects of relating ethical accountability with relational connection, opposition of anthropocentrism, and acknowledging of non-human agency. The paper illustrates that literature may serve as a moral and pedagogical domain, developing ecological consciousness and cultural attitudes toward nature, and the long-term usefulness of the story by Jewett in ecocritical studies, environmental ethics, and ecological literacy learning.

Subaltern Voices: A Critical Analysis of Female Narratives in South Asian Postcolonial Literature

Dr. Faheem Arshad , Anosha Khaliq, Aneeqa Ahmad — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examined the representation of subaltern female voices in South Asian postcolonial literature through a critical and interpretivist lens, addressing how marginalized women were positioned within literary narratives shaped by colonial legacies and patriarchal power structures. The study aimed to explore the ways in which female subaltern experiences were narrated, silenced, or mediated, with particular attention to narrative authority, agency, bodily control, and alternative modes of expression. Using qualitative textual analysis, selected literary works were closely examined to uncover recurring patterns of marginalization and resistance embedded in language, structure, and characterization. The findings revealed that subaltern women were rarely granted full narrative voice and were often represented through fragmented speech, silence, and embodied experience, reflecting structural exclusion rather than individual deficiency. Agency emerged in constrained and everyday forms, emphasizing survival and negotiation rather than overt rebellion. The analysis further demonstrated that female bodies functioned as sites of social regulation, while memory and silence operated as counter-discursive tools that challenged dominant historical and cultural narratives. These findings highlight the limitations of mainstream literary frameworks in capturing marginalized subjectivities and underscore the importance of postcolonial feminist readings for a more inclusive understanding of South Asian literature. The study contributes to ongoing debates on representation, power, and voice, offering critical insights into how literature can both reproduce and resist structures of subaltern marginalization.