University Of Sindh
Department of English Language and Literature
Predatory publishing has recently emerged as a menace in academia. University professors and researchers often exploit this practice for their economic gains and institutional prestige. The present study investigates such existing... more
Predatory publishing has recently emerged as a menace in academia. University professors and researchers often exploit this practice for their economic gains and institutional prestige. The present study investigates such existing predatory publishing practices in Pakistani public sector universities using Bourdieu's (1991) concept of symbolic violence. For this purpose, we analyzed 495 articles published by 50 university professors in the social sciences and humanities over the period 2017-2021. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 postgraduate students to gather their perspectives on publishing practices. The study shows that 69% of the sample papers were published in predatory journals, as identified in Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission's (HEC) online journal recognition system (HJRS). Postgraduate students' insights inform the study that the students misrecognize these malpractices in academia as a problem what Bourdieu (1991) calls ‘symbolic violence’. Consequently, they engage in the process to increase their publications. Such publications enable both the university professors and the students to achieve the desired benefit, such as promotions, tenure, and academic degrees. We recommend that this practice must be altered at the policy level since it not only violates the HEC's standards for quality research but also damages the researchers’ credibility and country's scientific reputation.
Purpose-This paper discusses the challenges that two doctoral researchers faced while researching religious minorities and women in a culturally sensitive society such as Pakistan. Their shared interest in sensitive topics related to... more
Purpose-This paper discusses the challenges that two doctoral researchers faced while researching religious minorities and women in a culturally sensitive society such as Pakistan. Their shared interest in sensitive topics related to gender and minorities in Pakistan led both researchers to collaborate in this study to provide a better understanding of issues in qualitative research in the same research context. They discuss the challenges of interviewing participants within the educational context. They also suggest some ways to overcome such challenges. Design/methodology/approach-Based on Foucualt's writings on regimes of truth, discourse and systems of exclusion, the authors in this study analyze how patriarchal and faith-based regimes of truth constrain some discourses that affect participants' willingness and insights to reflect on the issues freely. Findings-While reflecting on their experiences in data collection, authors report that qualitative researchers struggle to access participants to investigate issues related to gender subjectivities and minority faiths in educational contexts in developing societies like Pakistan. Researchers face a variety of problems, from their own positionality to participants' access to their responses. The reason for this is patriarchal and religious regimes and also their intersecting relations that restrict participants' ability to reflect on their issues. Minorities in Pakistan are often prevented from expressing their views freely by blasphemy fears. The discourses of gender are also sensitive. Therefore, the study suggests that in societies such as Pakistan, where religion and gender are emotive terms, the problem can be handled by counter-discourses that challenge truth regimes by conceiving research as a transformative practice. Moreover, such societies require a policy for protecting researchers and participants in the interest of knowledge production and dissemination. Originality/value-This study is originally based on the primary data used in two doctoral studies. Keywords Religious minority, Gendered identities, Regimes of truth, Challenges Paper type Research paper Researching religious minorities and women
Language textbooks are discourse-led documents that contain official knowledge and construct specific learner subjectivities. Official knowledge embodies a worldview that serves the interests of dominant social group. In Pakistan, studies... more
Language textbooks are discourse-led documents that contain official
knowledge and construct specific learner subjectivities. Official knowledge embodies a worldview that serves the interests of dominant social
group. In Pakistan, studies suggest that textbooks in general tend to
distort the historical facts in favour of the national narrative. Using six
language textbooks (Sindhi, Urdu, and English) taught at government-run
schools in Sindh province of Pakistan, this study aims to understand how
language is used to construct “Muslim identity”. Moreover, the study also
considers minority faith language learners’ perspectives in order to understand their experiences and reactions. The analysis is informed by
Fairclough’s (2001, 2003) writings on critical discourse analysis (CDA).
The findings reveal that Muslim identity is constructed through a variety
of discourses related to Islam. Furthermore, minority faith language learners perceive language learning spaces to be ideologically motivated,
promoting a dominant religious identity narrative while disregarding
diversity. The study recommends that the process of textbooks design
should consider minority faiths to a considerable extent in the interest of
inclusive and a sustainable society. The study has implications for wider
global contexts, including Asia Pacific where language textbooks promote
biases based on religion, gender, ethnicity, and language.
knowledge and construct specific learner subjectivities. Official knowledge embodies a worldview that serves the interests of dominant social
group. In Pakistan, studies suggest that textbooks in general tend to
distort the historical facts in favour of the national narrative. Using six
language textbooks (Sindhi, Urdu, and English) taught at government-run
schools in Sindh province of Pakistan, this study aims to understand how
language is used to construct “Muslim identity”. Moreover, the study also
considers minority faith language learners’ perspectives in order to understand their experiences and reactions. The analysis is informed by
Fairclough’s (2001, 2003) writings on critical discourse analysis (CDA).
The findings reveal that Muslim identity is constructed through a variety
of discourses related to Islam. Furthermore, minority faith language learners perceive language learning spaces to be ideologically motivated,
promoting a dominant religious identity narrative while disregarding
diversity. The study recommends that the process of textbooks design
should consider minority faiths to a considerable extent in the interest of
inclusive and a sustainable society. The study has implications for wider
global contexts, including Asia Pacific where language textbooks promote
biases based on religion, gender, ethnicity, and language.