Mukhtaran Mai's transformation from gang-rape victim to the feminist face of glamour: Transcending notions of tribal honour, gender and class in Pakistan

Imran, Rahat

Mukhtaran Mai's transformation from gang-rape victim to the feminist face of glamour: Transcending notions of tribal honour, gender and class in Pakistan

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Date

2019-10-29

Authors

Imran, Rahat

Publisher

Routledge

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the Mukhtaran Mai gang-rape case study to examine one womanâ s resolve to fight back "honor-rape", and her struggle to seek justice through the Pakistani judicial system. The discussion explores the various dimensions underlying such sexual violence against women, and their objectification as symbols of "honour" from the tribal standpoint of power structures of tribe/caste, class, and gender in contemporary Pakistani society. It also deals with the tribal parallel legal system that itself propagates and condones such acts of violence against women. The essay, thus, traces Mukhtaran Mai's journey through the courts and her emergence as a feminist and rights activist who transcended the widely held notions of tribal honor, gender, and class, and acquired worldwide acclaim as a symbol of courage, and resistance, and recognition as a feminist face of glamour when she received in 2005 Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year award.

Keywords

Mukhtaran Mai , Gang-rape , Honor-rape , Justice , Pakistani judicial system , Pakistan

Citation

Imran, R. (2020) 'Mukhtaran Mai's transformation from gang-rape victim to the feminist face of glamour: Transcending notions of tribal honour, gender and class in Pakistan', in Fuentes, M. J. G., Puente, S. N. and Gómez Nicolau, E. (eds.) Re-writing Women as Victims: From Theory to Practice. Abingdon: Routledge, pp 136-149.