Zenana: Everyday Peace in a Karachi Apartment Building

by Laura A. Ring

Ethnic violence is a widespread concern, but we know very little about the micro-mechanics of coexistence in the neighborhoods around the world where inter-group peace is maintained amidst civic strife. In this ethnographic study of a multi-ethnic, middle-class high-rise apartment building in Karachi, Pakistan, Laura A. Ring argues that peace is the product of a relentless daily labor, much of it carried out in the zenana, or women's space. Everyday rhythms of life in the building are shaped by gender, ethnic and rural/urban tensions, national culture, and competing interpretations of Islam. Women's exchanges between households―visiting, borrowing, helping―and management of male anger are forms of creative labor that regulate and make sense of ethnic differences. Linking psychological senses of "tension" with anthropological views of the social significance of exchange, Ring argues that social-cultural tension is not so much resolved as borne and sustained by women's practices. Framed by a vivid and highly personal narrative of the author's interactions with her neighbors, her Pakistani in-laws, and other residents of the city, Zenana provides a rare glimpse into contemporary urban life in a Muslim society.

Genres: Nonfiction, School, Anthropology, Ethnography

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Wangũi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavily read and heavily cited for a class but this book provoked a lot of thought about what peace is and how it has been defined, as well as questions on the role of urban space in mediating in and contributing to the creation of peace. Other key points that stuck with me were that peace was the taking on and maintenance of tension as opposed to the dispelling of it as is commonly understood. The fact that in this culture, it was women who played an active role in peace-making was interesting and I wondered whether this peace could extend into other spaces of the city besides the apartment building that was home.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter was interesting, but it felt like it was written by a 5th Grader.

[Alessandra Rios · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book and the little anecdotes, it still felt very distant from the actual message and context of the book. I couldn't help but keep in mind the "outsider" view that Ring has when stepping into the 'zenana', and that her intentions were more voyeuristic than genuine. But it seems as though the women she interacted with were accepting and inviting (I would expect nothing less from people of color, and women especially) and for that I'm glad. I saw some reviews that it was badly written? Like a 5th grader? Where tho? I thought it was well written! (a little confusing even, and it jumped around a lot) the language used however....I didn't see anything wrong with it. I most enjoyed her characters and the women and stories she shared- those made the book worth reading.

Still, I would skip this book.

[dorje raf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I talked to Dr. Ring in University of Chicago after we met and the book was enlightening on the processes of anthropological research and working with said research to refine one's understanding of the complex nature of subterranean and sublatern networks of communication in the periphery of women's spaces in Pakistan. I recommend this book to any scholar of Pakistan and any scholar of subaltern women's spaces.

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically a detailed analysis of relations between neighbors in an apartment building called "The Shipyard." in Karachi, Pakistan.
Religious tensions and one-upmanship are a daily occurance with the tenants.
Very scholastic examination of the minutae of everyday mundane activities.
The same chemistry can be found in any multicultural dwelling anywhere in the world.

[Ashley Kempkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I found it very interesting story-telling wise as well as being acedemic. I only wish that Ring had done more to tie back the experiences and analysis about the interactions of men and women she met in Karachi with similarities and differences to American life in regards to emotional labor and women finding ways to circumvent male anger. Ring talked about how women in her apartment building did this and yet I found many times thinking about how much that also happens here. I would be nervous that some people reading Ring's book would think that women only manage male anger in this way in places like Pakistan because of Purdah. This is a very minor observation however. I would highly reccomend this book to anthropologists or people wanting to understand the culture of Karatchi, Pakistan, or Islam in South Asia.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was highly informative of life for typical women living in Karachi, Pakistan. I greatly enjoyed reading Zenana. If you want a more personal perspective of my opinion of this ethnographic novel, feel free to look at my blog: http://lookinginalookingglass.wordpre...

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very compelling ethnography, but a weak theoretical framework.

[Asad Hasan]

Hmmmm!