[LAP] Call for Book Chapters

Tue Oct 10 04:44:01 UTC 2023

Dear All
Please consider submitting  book chapters to the following call for
chapters:
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2023/05/07/urban-uprisings-in-asia-women%E2%80%99s-social-and-political-activism-in-contemporary-asian

*Urban Uprisings in Asia: Women’s Social and Political Activism in
Contemporary Asian Literature in English*

*CFP*

>From peaceful marches to road blockades and even violence, urban uprisings
in Asia have become a powerful way to demand equality, freedom, and
recognition. Despite their disruptive nature, they have played a crucial
role in shaping political discourse and bringing attention to previously
ignored issues. The occupation of streets has long been a common tactic
employed by women in liberation struggles and fights for equal rights. In
recent years, women’s active role and participation in the formation and
development of urban uprisings in Asia have become the subject matter of
many literary works, representing a fertile ground for critical attention.

Since the 1960s and especially over the past two decades, cities in Asia
have witnessed a resurgence of urban uprisings driven by varying degrees of
intensity and political motivations. Defined as "rapid spread of collective
action in an urban context, from district to district and/or city to city,
which may or may not include violence, looting and torching" (Mayer et al.,
2016), urban uprisings in the Asian context have become a prominent and
potent way to express disapproval of government policies or social
injustice while demanding equality, freedom, and recognition. Over the past
few decades, urban uprisings in Asia have led to significant changes such
as the overthrowing of authoritarian regimes or policy reforms that address
social injustices (Ortiz et al., 2022; Slater, 2009). However, these
uprisings have also posed challenges for governments who have often
confronted them with harsh crackdowns. Some prominent examples from the
continent include: The 1964 race riots in Singapore, The May Incident of
1969 in Malaysia, The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, The 1989 Tiananmen
Square protests and massacre in China, The Taiwan “Yellow Vest” protests in
2018, the 2010s Arab Spring across much of the Arab countries in the Middle
East, the Anti-Taliban protests in Afghanistan, continual demonstrations in
India and Pakistan over human rights, and the recent wave of unrest in
Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Since the late 1960s, women have emerged as prominent figures in many of
the major political movements across the continent. Recent events such as
the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran, the 2022 Hijab protest in India, the 2020
Anti-rape protests in Bangladesh, and the Anti-violence protests in
Pakistan are all examples of women's demonstrations against injustice and
inequality that have evolved into nationwide urban uprisings. These
movements serve as indicators of women's activism in challenging,
contesting, and disrupting the social, cultural, and political fabric of
their societies. It is important to note that many of these movements, as
the sociologist Asef Bayat (2023) observes, are not necessarily "feminist
revolutions" or simply revolts of younger generations. Rather, they
represent a desire to transform the status quo and reclaim a free and
dignified life. Women's rallies and protests in the streets are often
triggered by violent police action or met with strong resistance from
political authorities. This has led to imprisonment, abuse, and deaths of
young women and girls. Despite these challenges, women continue to play a
crucial role in shaping political discourse and driving social change (Das,
1990; Roces & Edwards, 2010). Their activism has inspired countless others
to join them in their fight for equality and justice.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the literary
representation of women's social and political activism in the context of
urban uprisings. This emerging genre of literary studies has opened up
exciting new avenues for exploring the experiences of women who have
participated in these movements, and for examining the ways in which their
stories have been told and interpreted. While sociological studies have
long focused on urban uprisings, they have tended to overlook the specific
experiences of women within these movements (Derichs & Fennert, 2014;
Fernandes, 2014). By contrast, literary studies offer a unique perspective
on the role that women have played in shaping and driving these movements
forward (Tally Jr, 2017). In particular, there is a need for more attention
to be paid to the representation of women's activism in Asian countries.
This is an area that has been relatively neglected by scholars, but one
that offers rich opportunities for focused case studies and comparative
analyses. Some of the key topics that could be explored within this field
include the ways in which women have enabled and developed urban uprisings;
the topographies of women's social movements across Asia; the underlying
causes for women's individual and collective activism; the obstacles and
challenges that they face; and the accomplishments that they have achieved
in terms of transforming social norms and realizing their rights. Overall,
this emerging field promises to shed new light on an important aspect of
contemporary social and political history.

The book aims to shed light on the diverse forms of women's activism in
urban areas throughout the Asian continent. The editors seek to not only
comprehend each case as a distinct phenomenon but also to identify
commonalities and disparities among them. They are interested in receiving
innovative contributions that explore various historical and contemporary
examples of urban uprisings in Asia. The editors have three primary
objectives. Firstly, they aim to focus on the experiences and
representations of women who have encountered, witnessed, or participated
in urban uprisings across Asian countries since the latter half of the 20th
century. Secondly, they intend to investigate similarities and differences
in the experiences, representations, and life stories of successful female
campaigners, as well as those who were incarcerated or subjected to
physical and mental torture as political activists during or after urban
uprisings. Thirdly, they aim to examine how women's active participation
affects the success or failure of urban uprisings; their role in
intensifying government crackdowns; and their contribution towards bringing
about transformative changes in society.

The editors welcome chapter proposals that explore topics and concepts
related to representations of women’s experiences and participation in
urban uprisings in Asian countries. Themes for contributions may include,
but are not limited to:

1. Women's agency in urban uprisings

2. Gendered violence and resistance in urban uprisings

3. Intersectionality and women's experiences of urban uprisings

4. Women's leadership and participation in urban uprisings

5. Feminist perspectives on urban uprisings in Asia

6. Women's role in shaping the narrative of urban uprisings

7. The impact of urban uprisings on women's lives and livelihoods

8. Women's solidarity and collective action in urban uprisings

9. The role of literature in representing women's experiences of urban
uprisings

10. Women's participation in post-uprising reconstruction efforts

11. The impact of state repression on women during urban uprisings

12. The role of religion and culture in shaping women's experiences of
urban uprisings

13. Women's experiences of displacement and migration during urban
uprisings

14. The intersection between environmental justice and women's
participation in urban uprisings

15. The potential for feminist alliances across borders during urban
uprisings

16. Foreign (women) role models

17. The importance of the Information communication technology (ICT)

Please submit an abstract of approx. 400 words and a short bionote to
*Dr.* *Ayesha
Perveen *at* ayesha at vu.edu.pk <ayesha at vu.edu.pk>* by *15 December 2023* at
the latest. Notifications of acceptance can be expected by Dec 30, and
complete manuscripts of 6,000-8,000 words will be due by Feb 29, 2024.

*Editors: *

*Moussa Pourya Asl*, Affiliate, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu,
Finland
Moussa Pourya Asl is an Affiliate at the Faculty of Humanities, University
of Oulu. He earned his PhD in English Literature from the School of
Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia. His primary research area is in
diasporic literature and gender and cultural studies. He has guest edited
two special issues on postcolonial and diasporic literature and theory for
the journal of *The Wenshan Review*. He has edited two books: *Gender,
Place, and Identity of South Asian Women* (2022), and *Urban Poetics and
Politics in Contemporary South Asia and the Middle East* (2023). He has
published several articles in the above-mentioned areas.

*Henry Oinas-Kukkonen*, Senior Lecturer of History, University of Oulu,
Finland

Henry Oinas-Kukkonen is a Senior Lecturer in History and has a title of
docent in the History of International Relations and Information Networks
at the University of Oulu, Finland. He is one of the principal
investigators in the Transcultural Encounters Research Center (TCERC) at
the University of Oulu. Oinas-Kukkonen has worked among others on history
of the US Occupation of Japan and the American attempts to re-educate their
occupation soldiers to meet Japanese women. His current research interests
also include the history of information and communication technology,
innovation and social web. He has published five monographs including a
co-authored title *Humanizing the Web: Change and Social Innovation* (2013).

*Ayesha Perveen*, Assistant Professor of English at the Virtual University
of Pakistan

Ayesha Perveen, Assistant Professor of English at the Virtual University of
Pakistan holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of
Management and Technology in Lahore, Pakistan. Specializing in South Asian
literature, she has an extensive record of international publications and
presentations. Additionally, she serves as a respected reviewer for several
prestigious international journals. In her leisure time, she indulges her
passion for poetry, with her works featured in notable publications
such as *New
Writing*, *FemAsia*, *Covid and Poetry Anthology*, and *Down in the Dirt*.

*Works Cited*

Bayat, A. (2023, March). Is Iran on the Verge of Another Revolution?. *Journal
of Democracy*.
*https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/is-iran-on-the-verge-of-another-revolution/*
<https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/is-iran-on-the-verge-of-another-revolution/>

Das, V. (Ed.). (1990). *Mirrors of violence: communities, riots and
survivors in South Asia*. Oxford University Press.

Derichs, C., & Fennert, D. (Eds.). (2014). *Women's movements and
countermovements: The quest for gender equality in Southeast Asia and the
Middle East*. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Fernandes, L. (Ed.). (2014). *Routledge handbook of gender in South Asia*.
Routledge.

Mayer, M., Thörn, C., & Thörn, H. (2016). *Urban uprisings: Challenging
neoliberal urbanism in Europe*. Palgrave.

Ortiz, I., Burke, S., Berrada, M., & Saenz Cortés, H. (2022). *World
protests: A study of key protest issues in the 21st century*. Springer
Nature.

Roces, M., & Edwards, L. (Eds.). (2010). Women's movements in Asia:
Feminisms and transnational activism. Routledge.

Slater, D. (2009). Revolutions, crackdowns, and quiescence: Communal elites
and democratic mobilization in Southeast Asia. *American Journal of
Sociology*, *115*(1), 203-254.

Tally Jr, R. T. (Ed.). (2017). *The Routledge handbook of literature and
space*. Taylor & Francis.
*Regards*

*Dr. Ayesha Perveen*
*Assistant Professor *
*Department of English*
*Virtual University of Pakistan*
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