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

2025-07-20

Advisor

Shahzeb Ahmed Hashim, Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences

Committee

Shahzeb Ahmed Hashim & Ramsha Siddiqui

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

Enforced Disappearances, Separatist Movements, Balochistan, Feminism, Women's History

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore the impact of coercive state actions of violence on traditional societal structures in Balochistan. The research objective was to explore how the actual experience and/or the perceived threat of state violence, specifically enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, have impacted the roles and responsibilities of Baloch women within their households. The study used in-depth interviews, contextualising the participants' insights using secondary sources such as academic literature, news articles, human rights reports, and public interviews. This research combined the analytical perspectives of insights of researchers and journalists with an expertise in Balochistan alongside the lived experiences of Baloch female activists lived experiences of female Baloch activists. The sample consisted of six participants who were recruited through a combination of personal networks and snowball sampling Findings from the interviews revealed six key themes. First, participants highlighted how governments utilise coercive security measures as a tool of terror to repress communities. Second, they discussed the shifting positionality of Baloch women in politics. Third, several participants highlighted the differences between the external characterisation of Baloch women and the roles that these women occupy within the political groups. Fourth, participants asserted that the self-identification of female relatives of disappeared Baloch men extends beyond their familial connection to these men. Fifth, participants discussed the impact of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings has affected decision-making dynamics in Baloch households. And finally, they described how the persistent threat of enforced disappearances has contributed to a heightened sense of vulnerability in the Baloch communities regarding the lives of young men, prompting a shift in gender expectations and the upbringing of male and female Baloch children.

Pages

59

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