Religious and Liberal Visions of National Identity in Pakistan: Postcolonial History and its Representation in Female Feminist Cinema

Abstract

In Pakistan, three forms of documentary production - state media, commercial TV channels, and female feminist filmmakers - shape the country's postcolonial national identity and history. This leads to a divide between two differing perspectives: right-wing and left-wing. The study focuses on the representation of Pakistan's postcolonial national identity and history through the lens of Pakistani female feminist filmmakers, utilizing documentary theories. The results indicate that the feminist filmmakers provide a liberal view of history and a secular identity for Pakistan, presenting a critical viewpoint on the country's Islamic ideology as a governing force for shaping its historiography and identity.

Keywords: religious vs. liberal national identity; postcolonial identity; feminism; documentary; film & representation