Grants Awardee Conducts Study on Pakistan's Infrastructure, Aggression, and Rebellion in Doctoral Dissertation
In the heart of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Bramsh Khan, a doctoral candidate in social science, is making a significant impact with her research on state-led infrastructural development in Balochistan, Pakistan.
Khan's research, which has recently been awarded a Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, focuses on the stories of Baloch women. She aims to document both the direct and indirect violence they face, as well as their strategies of endurance and resistance.
The Wenner-Gren Foundation, dedicated to advancing anthropological knowledge worldwide, recognised the potential of Khan's work and provided her with the necessary funding to deepen and expand her dissertation. Dan Olson-Bang, director of professional and career development in the Graduate School, played a crucial role in helping Khan find and apply for this fellowship.
Khan's research reveals the layered consequences of megaprojects such as the $62 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor and its M-8 motorway project. The M-8 motorway, which cuts through land sacred to the Baloch people and essential to their seasonal migration patterns, has led to the displacement and disruption of shepherds, farmers, and fishermen.
In an innovative approach, Khan is collaborating with emerging Baloch filmmakers to create a film project documenting the experiences of Baloch women. This project aims to convey their stories in a more visceral way through multimodal storytelling.
Khan believes that teaching one another and sharing cultural knowledge is a form of resistance against cultural erasure. Her research exposes how the rhetoric of development and modernity can obscure violence and destruction, and she is determined to bring these truths to light.
In addition to her research, Khan has been awarded a 2021 Fulbright Scholarship, further testament to her dedication and the significance of her work. As Khan continues her research and film project, she is shedding light on the experiences of Baloch women and the impact of infrastructural development on their lives and livelihoods, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of this complex issue.
- Bramsh Khan, a doctoral candidate in social science, conducts research at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, focusing on Baloch women in Pakistan.
- Khan's research aims to document violence faced by Baloch women, as well as their strategies of endurance and resistance.
- The Wenner-Gren Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing anthropological knowledge, has funded Khan's research.
- Dan Olson-Bang, director of professional and career development in the Graduate School, assisted Khan in finding and applying for the Wenner-Gren fellowship.
- Khan's research reveals the consequences of megaprojects like the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and its M-8 motorway.
- The M-8 motorway, which disrupts sacred land and migration patterns, has led to displacement among shepherds, farmers, and fishermen in Balochistan.
- Khan is collaborating with emerging Baloch filmmakers to create a film project to document the experiences of Baloch women more viscerally.
- Khan's approach to sharing stories through multimodal storytelling emphasizes teaching and cultural knowledge as forms of resistance against cultural erasure.
- Khan's work exposes the obstruction of violence and destruction under the guise of development and modernity.
- Khan's research has been recognized with a 2021 Fulbright Scholarship, acknowledging her dedication to her work.
- With the Fulbright Scholarship, Khan continues her research into the experiences of Baloch women and the impact of infrastructural development.
- The findings from Khan's research contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex issue of infrastructure development in Balochistan.
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