Edited by Muneeza Shamsie
The Feminist Press
And the World Changed, an impressive anthology of twenty-five short stories by any standard, is all the more impressive knowing it is the only such collection of stories written in English by Pakistani women.
In the introduction, the editor defines her goal for the anthology as "to reveal how Pakistani women, writing in a global—albeit imperial-language—challenge stereotypes that patriarchal cultures in Pakistan and the diaspora have imposed on them, both as women and as writers." The collection certainly lives up to this goal, exploring the many ways that social constructions of gender intersect with race, class, geography, culture, history, and belief.
The stories are arranged chronologically by the authors' birth order. Each essay is prefaced with editorial commentary that is particularly useful for readers not well versed in the history of Pakistan and its literary heritage.
The wounds of colonialism permeate the collection and many authors reveal such wounds as a global condition. For example, Roshni Rustomji links the colonization of the Asian continent to that of the Americas, noting that the "southwest of the United States...was of course taken from Mexico, which was of course taken by force by the European conquistadors, which was of course taken by force by—and so on and so forth." This same author notes that, "Wars remind me of age-old haunting begging to be exorcized from the body of our planet," and reflects, "Writing, after all, is a political act." These two claims could well refer to the entire anthology, focused as it is on colonialism, the resulting ravages of war, and on writing as a way to heal—or at least ameliorate—the wounds on individual bodies as well as entire cultures.
Many stories deal with assimilation and the difficulties of trying to bridge different cultures/geographical locations. "The Optimist," for example, recounts an arranged marriage from the perspective of both the bride and the groom, revealing the disjuncture not only between Pakistan and Britain, but also between different generations of Pakistanis.
Other stories deal with female oppression and the ways in which women are shaped by gendered expectations. Two notable tales, "Rubies for a Dog" and "A Pair of Jeans" examine how clothing can both empower and disempower women. The first details a daughter who dresses as a man in order to save her father. In the second, a woman is rejected by her future in-laws for her choice of attire. Explorations of gendered violence are also dominant, with stories that focus variously on honor killings, domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape.
Codes of masculinity are scrutinized in the collection as well. In my favorite story, "The Old Italian," readers are encouraged to see the links between a mother punishing her son by force-feeding him tablespoons of chili powder and the vengeance this son then takes out on his sister and her young friends by killing their beloved kitten. In fewer than ten pages, the author explores immigration, inner-city poverty, internalized racism, and the pernicious effects of gendered expectations as cyclical mutilations marring each successive generation.
Borders and their effects on individual as well as collective psyches are another recurring theme. For example, "Soot" examines the separation between Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, scrutinizing how long-held hostilities are effecting younger generations. In another similar story, "And the World Changed," Sabyn Javeri-Jillani sums up the directive to "choose whom to hate and whom to admire" due to "invisible lines and uncrossable borders." This focus on imposed and shifting borders, both literal and figurative, pervades many of the tales. From geographical borders to the sex/gender binary to divisions in religious sects, the exploration of border crossing of the anthology brings to mind Gloria Anzaldua's notion of "mestiza consciousness."
Critical examinations of racism and classism inform the stories, with one notable essay, "Scar," serving as a sort of female Kite Runner and another, "The Price of Hubris," recounting the trials of a young Pakistani American woman as she ventures out into the city shortly after 9/11. The collection will be of particular interest to those interested in post-colonial literature, women's literature, and contemporary short stories.
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