Zenana: Everyday Peace in a Karachi Apartment Building

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Zenana E V E R Y D A Y P E A C E I N A K A R A C H I A P A R T M E N T B U I L D I N G Laura A . Ring Ethnic violence is a widespread concern, but we know little about the micro-mechanics of coexistence in the neighborhoods around the world where inter-group peace is maintained amidst civic strife. In this ethnographic study of a multi-ethnic, middle-class, high-rise apartment building in Karachi, Pakistan, Laura A. Ring argues that peace is the product of a relentless daily labor, much of it carried out in the zenana, or women’s space. Women’s exchanges between households—visiting, borrowing, helping—and management of male anger are forms of creative labor that regulate and make sense of ethnic differences. Linking psychological senses of “tension” with anthropological views of the social signifi cance of exchange, Ring argues that social-cultural tension is not so much resolved as borne and sustained by women’s practices. Framed by a vivid and highly personal narrative of the author’s interactions with her neighbors, her Pakistani in-laws, and other residents of the city, Zenana provides a rare glimpse into contemporary urban life in a Muslim society. anthropology| gender studies| islamic studies “[W]ell written, argued, and presented. . . . A work of theoretical sophistication and empirical insight.” —Kamran Asdar Ali, University of Texas “Ring’s presentation of her material is exceptionally engaging. . . . She lets the reader in on the ethnographic process from the beginning. . . .” —Sylvia Vatuk, University of Illinois at Chicago Cover photos by Sheheryar Hasnain. LAURA A. RING lives in Chicago with her husband, photographer Sheheryar Hasnain, and their two sons. She received a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Chicago, and continues to research and write about everyday life in Karachi. INDIANA INDIANA University Press Bloomington & Indianapolis http://iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796 ISBN-13: 978-0-253-21884-1 ISBN-10: 0-253-21884-5 Z enana Ring E V E R Y D A Y P E A C E I N A K A R A C H I A P A R T M E N T B U I L D I N G Zenana Zenana everyday peace in a karachi apartment building Laura A. Ring Indiana University Press • Bloomington and Indianapolis The photographs in this book are by Sheheryar Hasnain. This book is a publication of Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA http://iupress.indiana.edu Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931 Orders by e-mail iuporder@indiana.edu  2006 by Laura A. Ring All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ring, Laura A., date Zenana : everyday peace in a Karachi apartment building / Laura A. Ring. p. cm. “The photographs in this book are by Sheheryar Hasnain.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978–0-253–34824–1 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978–0-253–21884–1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Intergroup relations—Pakistan—Karachi—Case studies. 2. Conflict management—Pakistan—Karachi— Case studies. 3. Ethnic conflict—Pakistan—Karachi. 4. Women and peace—Pakistan—Karachi. 5. Sex role—Political aspects—Pakistan— Karachi. 6. Karachi (Pakistan)—Social conditions. 7. Karachi (Pakistan)—Ethnic relations. I. Title. HN690.5.K33R56 2006 305.48’8009549183—dc22 2006016280 1 2 3 4 5 11 10 09 08 07 06 ...