Cultural Politics Through the Eyes of Mohajir Women

Abstract

This article draws on qualitative research to examine Mohajir women’s construction of and understanding of their ethnopolitical Mohajir identity in the port city of Karachi, Pakistan, The Mohajir identity is constructed around a shared language amongst individuals with historically diverse backgrounds, and has proven to be a potent yet divisive ethnopolitical identity. The article argues that in order to assuage the grievances of the Mohajirs, sociopolitical steps such as elimination of the job quota system must be taken by the government in order for sustainable peace to be achieved.