1947 and 1971 are the two most pivotal moments in Pakistan's history yet they remain largely unknown. What we know about them depends on what the state wants us to know; your perception of events will be clouded by what side of the border you were born in.
The most important aspect of the story is often left untold by the state narratives: the people, the lived experiences of millions. The recording of oral histories sheds light on those experiences. Through a peoples history you can piece together the experience of 1947 and 1971.
Anam Zakaria comes on the podcast this week to discuss how to tell a peoples history, and why it is important.
Was Bangladesh inevitable? How do state narratives differ in India and Pakistan? Should an author put themselves into the work? Is there such a thing as 'objective history'? How to deal with trauma memories?
Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.
Anam Zakaria is the author of three books - 1971: A People's History from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India (2019), Between the Great Divide: A Journey into Pakistan-administered Kashmir (2018);
and The Footprints of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians (2015), which won her the 2017 KLF-German Peace Prize.
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The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Are we getting more radicalized
3:50 Oral histories and history at the margins
10:30 Putting yourself into your wrok
16:00 The process of recording Oral histories
23:00 Dealing with trauma memories
31:00 Wars fought on Womens bodies
36:30 The Reckoning for Partition
42:20 State narratives of 1947 in India and Pakistan
57:00 The Nationalization project after 1971
1:04:00 When it is labelled a genocide is political
1:09:00 Are displaced people ever home?
1:12:00 Was Bangladesh inevitable?
1:21:50 The equation of violence
1:29:00 Notions of identity
1:35:00 The politics of language
1:38:40 Pakistan's apology to Bangladesh
1:42:30 Is there more hate in urban centers or rural areas?
1:47:00 Visiting India
1:49:00 Conclusion and what's next
1:54:00 Is there any hope?