Gender segregation & women’s rights in Muslim societies: de-constructing feminist opposition to spatial boundaries through the lens of feminist documentary film

Abstract

ABSTRACT In many Muslim societies including Pakistan, the notions of spatial boundaries and gender segregation are becoming critical site for women’s rights and feminist activism. Sanctified through patriarchal culture and interpretations of religious scriptures, such notions undermine women’s agency and autonomy, hence invite greater attention from feminists, whereby they seek to unravel how these restrictive codes, deprive women of their fundamental rights such as access to the public sphere, education, and financial independence. Lately, feminists in Pakistan, have been demonstrating their opposition to these restrictions through various cultural and political activities that include the arrangement of the annual ‘Aurat March’, social media campaigns and other forms of cultural resistance. Feminist documentary has emerged as one of these effective tools, through which feminists confront religio-cultural constructs such as spatial boundaries and gender segregation, concepts that contribute to women’s oppression. These documentaries are providing new tools for cultural resistance and should be seen as a distinctive Muslim feminist documentary. Owing to the distinctive nature of feminist documentary in Pakistan, this paper explores feminist contestation of spatial boundaries through the lens of feminist documentary.