This study looks at the issue of colourism and class inequality in the drama serial ‘Parizaad’. Agenda-setting is utilized as the theoretical framework. The study analyses the dialogues, language use, and character interaction through qualitative content analysis. The findings of the study highlight how the narrative persistently underscores the discriminatory behavior concerning skin tone and class status. Through the protagonist changing self-perception and opposition to such set standards and prejudices, the drama not only reflects the entrenched socio-cultural partiality but also critiques them through motivation, moral authority and dignity of Parizaad. The results highlight how Parizaad sets the agenda by diverting viewers' attention to such issues and raising their awareness of questioning such benchmarks. This extension of the agenda-setting theory beyond its traditional news contexts, the research underlines the significance of infotainment narratives in constructing cultural discourses and impacting public consciousness with regard to such social issues.
This research investigates women's involvement in Pakistan's political sphere, offering a comparative analysis of their participation, the barriers they face, the challenges encountered, and the opportunities available during the general elections of 2018 and 2024. The study underscores the changing dynamics of female political engagement, critically examining the structural impediments that hinder their participation while exploring avenues for improved representation and empowerment in upcoming electoral frameworks. In the general elections of 2018, women held 20.5% of seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan, showing a modest development of women's participation in politics with 46.89% women voter turnout, but still, not a satisfactory level of participation. In the 2024 general elections in Pakistan, women's participation was lower than in the 2018 GE, as female voter turnout remained at 42.6%. This study answers why the turnout of women always remains low in GE. Women must be appreciated and encouraged by civil society, media and political parties to increase women's participation in politics and enhance the democratic process. An institutional program or initiatives to increase political awareness among women must be started. Political parties and governmental institutions must proactively cultivate more inclusive and welcoming environments for women to counteract the discouraging perception of male-dominated political arenas. This research attempts to analyze the barriers and Challenges that hinder women's political participation through descriptive-analytical research methodology.
This article investigates the power dynamics and social critique in Ayad Akhtar’s Homeland Elegies through the lens of Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis. By focusing on how language shapes and sustains social hierarchies, this study reveals the novel’s commentary on identity, belonging, and societal perceptions in contemporary America. Through themes such as Islamophobia, capitalism, and the American Dream, Akhtar examines how discourse marginalizes certain groups while reinforcing dominant cultural narratives. Fairclough’s framework uncovers the ways in which discourse not only reflects but actively perpetuates inequality, exposing the embedded power structures that govern everyday interactions. This analysis invites readers to critically engage with the language that sustains societal norms, encouraging a deeper understanding of how discourse both constructs and constrains social realities.
The advancement of Communication and Technology has brought about a radical change in the tertiary sector that now, most of the services of the private as well as the public enterprises are provided in online mode. The application of this digital technology could be very widely seen in the education sector for last few decades. However, a complete shift from offline to online mode of education happened during the Covid Period. The higher education sector in Kerala, India, where the students’ politics is very active, also switched over to online mode of education during the Covid period. Kerala is a state with highest literacy rate, highest digital literacy and very vibrant students’ politics in India. The connection between digital literacy and active campus politics in the digital era makes the state different from the other states. This study explores the impact of the online education on Students Politics, particularly on the bargaining power and political participation. A shift in the political culture of the students will take place with the emergence of ‘digital participant culture’. Similar or different influence of the new social media on other social groups, associations or trade unions could be traced in the digital era.
Tharus, an indigenous ethnic group found in the borderlands of Nepal and India, have been subject to extensive studies affirming their status as indigenous tribes. This research delves into the Tharu identity, characterizing them as a mestizo group—a blend of various cultural influences. While Tharus' origin stories exhibit diversity, historical records confirm their early settlement in the Terai region of Nepal, establishing them as the original inhabitants. Despite inscriptions suggesting immigration, Tharus, including the Chitwania subgroup, are rooted in indigenous origin, culture, and myths like Jimutbahan (Jitiya), Bikram Baba, and Lotus Pond myths. Tharus are viewed as ethnic yet mixed tribes, with the mythical narratives of their origin as the descent of Buddha or of Mongols mixed with Hindu Aryans culturally. Their religious and cultural practices reflect this mixed heritage, as they observe Hindu rituals uniquely and incorporate distinct elements into traditional practices related to birth, marriage, death, and festivals. This mixed identity fosters a mestizo-ethnic affiliation for Tharus, straddling two realities without purely belonging to either. Analogous to the mestizo identity in America, where Native Americans share a mixed heritage with Europeans, Tharus' identity is shaped as borderlands by their origin, culture, and myths. Using the theory of borderland identity as the theoretical perspective, this research endeavors to unveil how Tharus embody a mixed identity as borderlands through archival exploration and in-person interviews with Chitwania Tharu individuals and research references.
