A Post Structural Inquiry into Female Esl Learners’ Gender Identities at a Public University in Pakistan

The present study investigates how English language learning interacts with the gender identities and roles of female learners at the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan. Who learns what and how, is influenced by the learners’ gendered and sexualized identities (Pavlenko, 2004). Language learners have to navigate power relations within the classroom and their specific communities and develop understanding of their limitations and opportunities within these communities. Institutional practices and gender ideologies inhibit their access to networks which in turn affect their linguistic output and interactional opportunities. Within Interpretive epistemological framework eight female learners of final year (fourth year) Linguistics studying at IELL were interviewed and observed twice during one year to gather data for the present study. From the data it appeared that Pakistani females’ access to linguistic resources is mediated by cultural norms and societal expectations. Throughout their academic journeys the learners’ agency remained active due to which they were able to invest in their ESL learning and challenge socially imposed identities on them.

The Turkish Model of a Modern Muslim State: A Case Study 2002-2014

The term ‘Turkish model’ first appeared in the academic and media discourse during the post - cold war days, in order to show a direction to the newly independent Central Asian states, searching for a new identity for themselves under new circumstances. Turkey, as a secular Muslim state having old ties with Central Asian region was presented as a model for the region. Later, the post 9/11 global scenario once again brought the idea of the Turkish model in the limelight. At a time when the global war on terror was seen as an evidence of an inevitable clash between Islam and the West, the idea of the Turkish model showed the possibility of reconciliation between the two. Turkish model as a bridge across Islam and the West generated further academic interest as a new conservative democratic party AKP came to power in Turkey. The new party had Islamist roots, yet it advocated a liberal democratic agenda. The phenomenal economic success of Turkey in the following years enhanced the academic and media interest in the case of Turkey. Later, as the Arab Spring revolutionized the political context of the Middle East, Turkish model became a popular idea amongst the Arab masses protesting in the streets. The popularity of the idea however, sharply declined in the following years due to rising political instability in and outside Turkey. The current study examines the case of the idea of the Turkish model through the theoretical lens provided by the clash of civilizations narrative. It makes an extensive examination of the historical context of the idea. Then it undertakes a cross sectional, comparative discourse analysis of the idea of the Turkish model as constructed by academics from the West, the Muslim world and Turkey. The study also includes a longitudinal analysis of the academic construction of the idea of the Turkish model during 2002-2014. The study finds that contrary to the clash of civilizations narrative, the academic discourse from the West, the Muslim world and Turkey tend to present similar ideas on and around the Turkish model. It is compatibility rather than a clash of ideas which emerges as a dominant trend in the academic discourse across civilizations.