Towards a feminist praxis and pedagogy in higher education: knowledge-building and social action in Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT The fourth wave of feminism in Pakistan represents a significant departure from earlier movements, evolving into an intersectional force with widespread participation from younger women. Recent scholarship notes this shift, highlighting how activists are not only demanding equal rights but also critiquing the private/public dichotomy by centreing the intimate spaces where patriarchy is most entrenched. In light of this new phase in the feminist landscape, this article examines the overlooked narratives and experiences of women activists at the Feminist Students Collective (FSC), a student-led collective based in Lahore, Pakistan. It is argued that FSC activists employ a feminist praxis to analyse coloniality and neoliberalism’s entanglement with patriarchy in higher education and beyond. Through mediums such as writing, dance, poetry, theatre, and social media activism, they counter Eurocentrism in institutional spaces of learning and forge epistemic connections across class, religion, ethnicity, and social location in activist spaces.