Share what is Pakistani cultural identity to you, especially young Guppies and Guppans who are in their teens and living abroad in other countries such as Arabia, UAE, Turkey and Iran?
Best,
Dushwari
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
i dont quite know:rotato:
stuck in the middle:hmmm:
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
Can I ask, where are you stuck at?
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
if i knew i wudnt b stuck 
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
life less, that is really not stuck, it is unstuck.
that is even more harder to locate.
in any event, when you have a clue or so, please do let me know.
best,
Dushwari
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
I believe culture is formed of the basic values, trends, beliefs a group of people hold and adhere to. When that group is in the millions, and they live in a nation called Pakistan, they're known as Pakistanis. Now, as for what the cultural identity is!....i think the Pakistani cultural identity is composed of a conservative views of all things modern, changes, and other cultures that feel alien. Although it's not true across the board, this thought process is rapidly changing. What we see today is a struggle between the new ideas and those that are deep rooted in the culture/tradition. While the basics of the cultural identity are derived from the religion, there are however traditions that directly contradict such connection between religion and culture such as the open-ness and social structure found in pakistan that is yet to be discovered in the arab states. The skeptical, and sometimes pessimistic, yet hopeful thinking of the Pakistani is a big part of the Pakistani identity. The difference between the teens that have grown up outside Pakistan is that their parents live the culture, while children distinguish between what is to be/can be/ and will be followed, and what isn't really a culture at all, rather irrational action supplemented by irrational thinking. The children therefore are at an advantage and possess the outer lens to be able to look in on the culture from outside and see how others see it.
This entire package of thinking, acting, and belief is what forms any identity. We are the new pakistani cultural identity.
I am as far from the culture as moon, yet so intact that i know the value it holds. I adhere to the manners taught throughout generations such as those of respect for the elders, kindness for the younger, but i too have adapted the 'outer view' and there are many things in me that.....will permanently reflect in my children and their upbringing. I strongly believe in being tolerant of others views, something i see less and less of in the 'pakistani culture', the ability to adapt and blend with other people, etc. These very qualities will be found in abundance in all our generations to come because we've adapted to this life of knowing where we come from, and keeping in mind where we need to go from here. I think my children shall be Hybrid Pakistanis. same method: different thinking! lol :D
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
teggy,
thanks for sharing your perspective.
your last line is a sum up and it speaks to the gist of all of the above which it followed. true, that the people make up the culture, and just as times change, so do people, hopefully in only positive ways.
and those values and people who are good and moral, they create change but dont change for something bad.
Best,
Dushwari
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
ur welcome.
best,
teggy
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
The Pakistani nation lacks an identity and culture and this is why it tries to adopt Western culture, which proves that it is still a slave, said Dr Ejaz Tareen on the first day of the 8th Muslim Psychological Conference held at Alhamra on Sunday.
The Society for the Advancement of Muslim Psychology organised the thwo-day conference, which was chaired by Dr Ejaz Tareen, former chief of Mayo Hospital’s Psychology Department. Prof Ghulam Rasool from Miawali, Dr Naseer Qaisar, Dr Aasir Ajmal from LUMS and Dr Azhar Ali Rizvi also addressed participants
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\10\29\story_29-10-2007_pg7_24
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
me have no idea about Pakistani identity
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
You have a cultural identity when you are proud to present something that your home-country has been successful at and it has aided the whole world or atleast attracted for participation. Pakistani culture has never been a values based one but rather one passed down through generations and about preservation of a key few points and a patriarchal society. Cultural show shaw fades away and resurrects with time in different ages, its the values on which the generation or individuals are raised that lasts and projects their character. Our children will never be able to fully understand the joyful things we witnessed when raised back home as we today find sometimes difficulty in understanding what they enjoy over here. It will always be a compromise and for people back home its always a narrow view of the world.
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
Having travelled around most of Pakistan its probable to say having one unified cultural identity is impiossible but there are core values based on the majority religion Islam and strongly adhered to minority religions. Everyone in Pakistan identifies with a culture yet the people in Hunza are very different to the people in Zhob who would be very diferent to the people in modern metroopolis such as Karachi.
Cuulture is divided by religion, sects, language, ethnicity, region, urban/rural, class. Main values would be modesty, respect for elders, conforming to mainstream society, a role of religion in life.....
Re: Identity of a Culture: Do Pakistanis have one?
all is well said, make sense and i hope that other people think in terms of the benefit to the identity formation, as their own benefit, before they live misidentified or unidentifiable lives - Pakistanis or Muslims, without having anything to do with Pakistan and for its well being or as true Muslims.
alot is required from a thinking nation, i feel, when we are trying honestly, to preserve the good in a culture and eliminate that is self disadvantageous for it.
right now, as a nation, on social and political levels, Pakistani-Muslim national and cultural identity must be reformed on valid basis which allows for universal acceptance of good things learnt by the nation, from its mistakes.
and the rest may follow, accordingly.
Dushwari