Author: Hajrah Yousaf
Abstract
The three films Khuda Kay Liye/In the Name of God (dir. Shoaib Mansoor, 2007), Noces/A Wedding (dir. Stephan Streker, 2016), and Hva Vil Folk Si/What Will People Say (dir. Iram Haq, 2017) vary in terms of language, cultural context, and intended audience. They are chosen for this research because they have a story arc in common: that of a girl in the Pakistani diaspora accused of tainting her family’s honor by developing a relationship with a white boy. The films follow these women as they are subjected to violence by their families. In my paper, I examine the portrayals of violence inflicted upon women at a perceived breach of honor within a diasporic context in these three films. This paper aims to add more to the discourse surrounding these concepts, especially since honor-related violence (HRV) is a prominent issue facing diasporic communities. To that end, I analyze the narratives of all three films and point to common elements between them. My analysis is focused upon the themes of honor, marriage, religion, and tradition, and also explores the significance of settings, costume, and language. The analyses are contextualized by a discussion of actual incidents of honor-based violence within diasporic communities. I attempt to explain these issues in light of Bourdieu’s theories of habitus, masculine domination, and language, along with Grzyb’s work positing honor-related violence as a result of patriarchal backlash due to a change in values from home to host country. I also build upon extant literature based on honor and violence, such as the work of Nafisa Shah. I conclude that although the films vary when it comes to numerous factors, there are some aspects in terms of themes, settings, costume, and language that are common to all three; these elements serve to portray HRV in similar ways throughout the films.
Keywords:
Honor, Izzat, Honor-related Violence, Pakistani Diaspora, Patriarchal Backlash, Gender Order, Public and Private Language
