Pakistani Literature Festivals and a Scopaesthesiac Consciousness

Mushtaq Bilal*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand and theorize Pakistani literature festivals. In order to do so, I study the programs and schedules of the Karachi Literature Festival from 2010–2020 and the Lahore Literary Festival from 2013–2020. Using Andrew Shryock’s idea of Other-consciousness and building on Ammara Maqsood’s anthropological work done in urban Pakistan, I argue that the conception, programming, and execution of festivals like the Karachi and the Lahore festivals are governed by a “scopaesthesiac consciousness” – a consciousness of being observed and judged by an imagined outsider. As a result, the organizers and producers of these festivals are less interested in showcasing an organic literary production and more interested in portraying a “soft image of Pakistan” to an imagined outsider.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of World Literature
Volume7
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)348-368
ISSN2405-6472
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

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