Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Date of Submission

2025-07-29

Advisor

Ramsha Siddique

Committee

Parmal Ahmed

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

Folklore, Fishing community, Oral traditions, Cultural transmission, Functionalism

Abstract

This research explores the prose narratives within the Ibrahim Hyderi fishing community in Karachi, taking a closer look at how oral traditions serve as cultural memory, belief, and identity. It investigates how the prose narratives operate within everyday life: whether they reinforce communal values or challenge them. Another aspect of this research is the intersection between oral traditions and religiousity, primarily through the role of shrines as both subjects and settings of the prose narratives.

Methodologically, the study uses qualitative interviews with community members, empirical observation, and documentary evidence to explore secondary research, such as the functionalist frameworks for understanding folklore and religion. At a time when the oral traditions of coastal fishing communities in Pakistan remain largely undocumented in academic research, this research addresses a gap in scholarship. It offers a new perspective into how prose narratives can both stabilise and disrupt local traditions. This study contributes to broader discussions on indigenous storytelling, cultural transmission, and the politics of belief in South Asia.

Pages

62

Notes

The research was funded by Institute of Business Administration (FYP Award 2025)

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