Fawzia Afzal-Khan

Fawzia Afzal-Khan
Born 1958
Lahore, Pakistan
Residence New Jersey, United States
Education Doctor of Philosophy
Alma mater Tufts University
Occupation Professor
Employer Montclair State University
Known for Lahore with Love (memoir)
Website fawziaafzalkhan.webs.com

Originally from Pakistan, Fawzia Afzal-Khan (Urdu: فوزیہ افضل خان) is a professor of English and director of Women and Gender Studies Program[1] at Montclair State University. Afzal-Khan received her BA from Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore, Pakistan, and her MA and PhD. in English Literature from Tufts University.[2] A University Distinguished Professor,[3] Afzal-Khan was awarded The "Excellence in Public Life Award" by the American Muslim Alliance in 2008.[4] Afzal-Khan also serves on the editorial board of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies.[5]

Scholarly work

Author of three monographs[6] and two edited volumes,[7] Afzal-Khan has published extensively in academic journals as well as in newspapers[8] and on public blogs[9] on issues related to postcolonal studies, feminism, and political Islam.[10]

Memoir: Lahore with Love

Afzal-Khan's memoir, Lahore with Love: Growing up with Girlfriends Pakistani Style, was published in 2010 by Syracuse University Press. The memoir was immediately received as a fine contribution to the women's rights issues in Pakistan.[11] The first edition contained commending blurbs from prominent authors and scholars: Nawal El Saadawi called it a "beautiful memoir which challenges stereotypes, universal fanatic fundamentalism and religious, political, and sexual taboos" and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. found it to be a memoir that "weaves together memory and desire to create a tale that is marvelously compelling and endlessly entertaining, at once poignantly personal and richly political."[12]
However, despite its positive reception, the book was soon dropped by Syracuse University Press due to fear of a lawsuit by a prominent Pakistani woman.

The cancellation of the book by an academic press for fear of a lawsuit became an important issue in the academic circles.[13] Since the cancellation of the book, various academics, writers, and editors have supported Afzal-Khan in her right to free speech.[14] In an editorial, Richard Schechner and Katherine Lieder of The Drama Review castigated the Syracuse University Press for not standing up for the rights of free speech of one of their own authors.[15]
Afzal-Khan has now published the memoir independently through the Amazon publishing platform.[16] Just recently, Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies has also published a special cluster of articles about the book[17] along with an interview[18] with Afzal-Khan about the controversy.Pakistaniaat had earlier to published an interview with Fawzia, which was conducted by Nilanshu Kumar Agarwal.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Montclair State, Women and Gender Studies". Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "WISE Muslim Women". Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  3. ↑ http://www.montclair.edu/profilepages/view_profile.php?username=khanf/
  4. ↑ "Excellence in Public Service Award". American Muslim Alliance. 12 October 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  5. ↑ http://www.pakistaniaat.org/about/displayMembership/150
  6. ↑ Afzal-Khan, Fawzia (1993). Cultural Imperialism and the Indo-English Novel: Genre and Ideology in R. K. Narayan, Anita Desai, Kamala Markandaya, and Salman Rushdie. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-271-03295-5.
  7. ↑ Afzal-Khan, Fawzia (2004). Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out. New York: Olive Branch Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-1-56656-569-1.
  8. ↑ Afzal-Khan, Fawzia. "Mullahs and music in Morocco". Express Tribune. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  9. ↑ Afzal-Khan, Fawzia. "Author Page". The Pakistan Forum. Pakistaniaat. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "Curriculum Vitae". Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  11. ↑ "Lahore With Love An affair to remember". Daily Times. 30 March 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  12. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0815609248
  13. ↑ Jaschik, Scott. "'Lahore With Love' – Without a Publisher". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  14. ↑ Raja, Masood. "Statements in Support of Fawzia Afzal-Khan's Lahore with Love". Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies. 2 (3): 122–136. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  15. ↑ Schechner, Richard; Katherine Lieder (2011). "Shame on Syracuse University Press". The Drama Review. 55 (1): 7–12. doi:10.1162/dram_e_00044.
  16. ↑ Afzal-Khan, Fawzia. "Lahore With Love: Growing Up With Girlfriends Pakistani-Style". CreateSpace. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  17. ↑ "Pakistaniaat: Vol. 3, No. 2 (2011)". Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  18. ↑ Stringer, Hillary (2011). "Lahore with Love Today: An Interview with Fawzia Afzal-Khan". Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies. 3 (2). Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  19. ↑ "Shattering the Stereotypes: An Interview with Fawzia Afzal-Khan". Retrieved 26 January 2013.

External links

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