Anthropology-QAU

*Heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Saadia Abid* on new position as Chairperson of the Department of Anthropology! Wishing you great success in your new role.

Congratulations 🎉

Heartiest congratulations to . Aneela on your well-deserved promotion to *Associate Professor* in the Department of Anthropology! Your dedication, hard work, and passion for the field continue to inspire us all. Wishing you continued success and achievements ahead!♥️

On February 19, 2025, Samra Iqbal, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, successfully defended her thesis titled "A Comparative Study of the Jirga and Judiciary System in Pakistan: A Case Study of Bahadur Khan Village, Attock." Her research was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Waheed Iqbal Chaudhry. The external examiners were Prof. Dr. Arab Naz and Prof. Dr. Jamil Chitrali. Her study focused how the Jirga and Judiciary systems operate in Bahadur Khan village, District Attock. The study aimed to explore the factors influencing the diversity of formal justice systems while comparing the similarities and differences between informal and formal justice mechanisms in Pakistan. Her research offers critical insights into the complexities of these parallel legal structures and emphasizes the need for further scholarly engagement with the Jirga system and its implications. Dr. Inam Ullah Leghari, Chairman of the Department of Anthropology, extended his heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Samra Iqbal and expressed appreciation for the audience's valuable participation.

*Ramadan Mubarak!* 🌙🌼

May this holy month bring you peace, prosperity, and spiritual growth. This is a time for prayer, fasting, self-reflection, and charity, reminding us to purify our hearts and strengthen our connection with Allah (SWT). May your fasts be accepted, your prayers answered, and your sins forgiven.

Let's embrace the values of kindness, patience, and gratitude, spreading love and compassion to those in need.

Wishing you all and your loved ones a blessed Ramadan.♥️💐 May this holy month bring you endless peace and happiness. Ameen!

Best regards,
Anthro Society, QAU

Our Anthropology graduate from Sindh University, Jamshoro Mr. Waquar Kalhoro who is currently enrolled in MPhil in Anthropology at QAU, Islamabad has just published a blog. He argues while using Foucault's theoretical framework that Universities in Pakistan are more focused to conform the normative practices, often too bureaucratic, than providing quality education. Here is his take: read and share!

Time-Wasting Machinery: The Bureaucratic Discipline of Higher Education Benjamin Franklin once said, "Time is Capital." But our society is so prosperous in this capital that it wastes it without concern.

EDITORIAL:

ILL OMEN

It sometimes appears as if those struggling for an independent judiciary have needlessly burdened themselves with preserving the institution’s prestige. When the top judges of the country have few concerns about public perceptions, it seems futile to worry endlessly about institutional integrity. ‘Que sera, sera’, as they say.

Ever since the 26th Amendment, matters seem to have gone according to script without a hitch. Judges perceived as being ‘too independent’ or holding views opposed to the ruling regime’s policies appear to have been systematically sidelined and substituted by individuals seemingly more acceptable to the regime. There has been little transparency about why certain judges have been transferred from one high court to another or why certain judges have been elevated while others have not.

Personality is composed of two fundamentally different types of traits: those of ‘character;’ and those of ‘temperament.’ Your character traits stem from your experiences. Your childhood games; your family’s interests and values; how people in your community express love and hate; what relatives and friends regard as courteous or perilous; how those around you worship; what they sing; when they laugh; how they make a living and relax: innumerable cultural forces build your unique set of character traits. The balance of your personality is your temperament, all the biologically based tendencies that contribute to your consistent patterns of feeling, thinking and behaving. As Spanish philosopher, Jose Ortega y Gasset, put it, ‘I am, plus my circumstances.’ Temperament is the ‘I am,’ the foundation of who you are. ~Helen Fisher