Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
A Critical Thinking Circle session based on the book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” written by Nicholas d. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn was conducted with the students of Governemnt College University (GCU) Lahore on November 16th, 2022 which is marked as the International Tolerance day. The session was moderated by Ms. Sumera Khalil, incharge at GCU Women Development Centre. The duration of the session was 90 minutes. It was attended by 22 students. The session started with a review of the book. The author’s take on gender-based violence against women around the world was discussed.
Ms. Fareeha and Ms. Laima, Professors at GCU, discussed twenty-first-century slavery, the prohibition of prostitution, critical thinking to end gender-based violence, and the importance of speaking up. Ms. Sajjal Fatima, one of the participants, discussed her favorite chapter in the book i.e. Rule of Rape. She shared how this chapter had managed to change her victim mindset into a survivor mindset.
Statistical analysis of the percentage ratio of women still facing violence and inequality in third-world countries was also an integral part of this CTC session.
The session inspired all the participants to offer their time, money, or political advocacy to make gender equity their top global priority. The staff at GCU Women Development Centre applauded the efforts of Shaoor Foundation for Education and Awareness (SFEA) in organizing this thought-provoking session.
Environmental Crisis in Young Adult Fiction - A Poetics of Earth
The second critical thinking circle in collaboration with Shaoor Foundation for Education and Awareness (SFEA) based on the book “Environmental Crisis in Young Adult Fiction – A Poetics of Earth” by Alice Curry was conducted with the students of GCU on the 22nd December 2022. The session started with an introduction to the ecofeminist theory and how the factor of essentiality associated with the female gender makes women pay for the destruction done to nature at the hands of men. Professors at GCU connected the poetics of earth to Aristotle’s poetics: the tragedy of the planet caused by humanity’s hubris. Examples of women getting attacked, raped, and butchered just like motherland in the context of partition of the subcontinent were discussed. Ecofeminism in the context of the Hunger Games was also a part of the CTC discussion. A synonymy was drawn between mother nature which is characterized by its capacity to nurture and women who are expected to nurture new generations for the benefit and continuation of mankind. Lastly, this thought-provoking session ended with tea, snacks, and group pictures.
