The Silence That Speaks

Description

This ground-breaking anthology brings together 38 short stories culled fromover a century of writing by Muslim women from colonial and postcolonialIndia. Selected from different Indian languages, it includes fascinating storiesby celebrated and emerging authors. It also excavates stories from early women'sjournals such as Tehzeeb-e-Niswan, Saogat, and Indian Ladies' Magazine.Written in different styles, modes, and forms, the stories deconstruct culturalessentialism often involved in imagining Muslim womanhood and reflect uponthe diversity of imagined and lived experiences. They challenge sundry labels,explore intersections of identities, debunk several myths, and demonstrate howthe authors navigate the world of voices and silences. Ranging from imaginarygeographies to topographies of Muslim ghettos, most of these powerful storiesnarrate the spaces that Muslim women inhabit, and delineatetheir courage,desires, freedom, struggle, and myriad subjectivities.

About the author:

Haris Qadeer teaches at the Department of English, University of Delhi, India. He was a UGC-DAAD visiting fellow to the Department of English, Potsdam University, Germany (2019), and the Charles Wallace Visiting fellowship to the King’s College, London, UK (2022).  He has co-edited the special issue of Thesis Eleven on Postcolonial World Literature and Sultana’s Sisters: Genre, Genre, and Genealogy in South Asian Muslim Women’s Fiction (2021). His forthcoming projects include Medical Maladies: Stories on Disease and Cure from Indian Languages  (2022) and an English translation of a Hindi play.

Table of contents

Table of Content
Foreword
Acknowledgement
Introduction
1. Sultana's Dream: Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
2. Dear Naseem: Begum Sufia Hossain
3. She: Rashid Jahan
4. Mango Blossom: Zahra Rai
5. The Secret Of A Tutor: Mrs A Qadir
6. Blue Envelope: Hijab Imtiaz Ali
7. The Will: Moghal Mahmood
8. Salt: Razia Sajjad Zaheer
9. Zakat: Wajeda Tabassum
10. Spartan Hearts: Mrs. K Ahmed
11. Husn Ara Begum: Jamila Begum
12. Smokers Mazaar: Noor Zaheer
13. Billie: Shajahana
14.Chappals: Sara Aboobacker
15. A Day In The Labour Room: Jeelani Bano
16. A Tv Of One Own: Salma
17. Registered Post: Annie Zaidi
18. Rehmat's Calf Goes Missing: Eli Ahmed
19. Azrael: Bm Zuhara
20. Bidda Lives On: Zakia Mashadi
21. To Be Myself: Huma Kidwai
22. The Lost Paradise: Rubina Shabnam
23. The Men And The Woman: Tarannum Riyaz
24. Letter To The Sky: Ashrafi Begum
25. Green Tree Stumps: Sami Rafiq
26. Sending The Lord Away: Nasira Sharma
27. Loving, Dying: Ather Zia
28. I Am Reminded Of You: Kasema Khatun
29. Origin: Semeen Ali
30. Maina: Return Of The Bowls: Asma Anjum Khan
31. Penguin Life: Sheeba Ek
32. A Lady And Her Man: Seemin Hasan
33. My Share Of Happiness: Tasnim Khan
34. Riding Rakhsh: Mariam Karim
35. The Sunset: Sulema Khatun Kajol
36. Blue-Winged Girls: Husn Tabbasum Nihan
37. Once There Was A Mouse: Mallika Amar Sheikh
38. People's Court: Sarwat Khan