Contemporary Pakistani Speculative Fiction and the Global Imaginary

As the first book-length study of emergent Pakistani speculative fiction written in English, this critical work explores the ways in which contemporary Pakistani authors extend the genre in new directions by challenging the cognitive majoritarianism (usually Western) in this field. Responding to the recent Afro science fiction movement that has spurred non-Western writers to seek a democratization of the broader genre of speculative fiction, Pakistani writers have incorporated elements from djinn mythology, Qur'anic eschatology, "Desi" (South Asian) traditions, local folklore, and Islamic feminisms in their narratives to encourage familiarity with alternative world views. In five chapters, this book analyzes fiction by several established Pakistani authors as well as emerging writers to highlight the literary value of these contemporary works in reconciling competing cognitive approaches, blurring the dividing line between "possibilities" and "impossibilities" in envisioning humanity?s collective future, and anticipating the future of human rights in these envisioned worlds.

"Shazia Sadaf and Aroosa Kanwal?s exciting new book highlights the ways in which writers of Pakistani heritage engage with ?desi? (South Asian) tropes and metaphors to reimagine nonwhite Muslim futures. This volume foregrounds ways in which selected literary work set in Pakistani Muslim world contexts reflects imaginative modes that exemplify the fantastika. Sadaf and Kanwal put a desi approach into conversation with Western-centric worldviews of the future, drawing upon religious mythology, Qur?anic eschatology, South Asian traditions, and Islamic feminism while engaging with Pakistani creative voices. This book breaks new ground in its attention to very recent speculative and science fiction texts, many of which have not been discussed in detail elsewhere."

Claire Chambers, Professor of Global Literature, University of York

"In this important study, Sadaf and Kanwal situate Pakistani speculative fiction within djinn mythology, Islamic feminisms, and local folklore alike. Their riveting analyses will be crucial as we all imagine and speculate about our collective future together."

Shazia Rahman, author of  Place and Postcolonial Ecofeminism: Pakistani Women?s Literary and Cinematic Fictions (University of Nebraska Press, 2019)

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