Opposition to Women’s Formal Education in Indian Society and the Role of "Khatoon" Magazine in Resistance
ہندوستانی معاشرے میں خواتین کی رسمی تعلیم کی مخالفت اور مجلّہ"خاتون "کی مزاحمت
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52015/daryaft.v18i01.447Keywords:
khatoon, Women’s Education, Colonial India, Muslim Women, Educational Reform, Curriculum Development, Urdu JournalismAbstract
This study examines the role of ‘Khatoon’ magazine in promoting women’s education in colonial India and assesses its contribution to the educational and social advancement of Muslim women. Following the socio-political transformations after the War of Independence of 1857, modern education became a central concern for Muslim reformers. Despite these efforts, women’s education continued to face resistance due to conservative social attitudes, entrenched cultural traditions, and misconceptions of a religious nature. This research explores ‘Khatoon’ as an influential platform that advocated female education and challenged prevailing opposition to women’s intellectual development. Employing a qualitative historical methodology, the study analyzes editorials, articles, reports, and educational discussions published in the magazine. The findings indicate that ‘Khatoon’ emphasized women’s education as essential for social progress, effective child upbringing, and the elimination of harmful customs and superstitions. The magazine supported girls’ schools, boarding facilities, and a comprehensive curriculum integrating religious instruction, literature, history, science, health education, domestic management, and vocational training. The study concludes that ‘Khatoon’ played a pioneering role in educational reform and the empowerment of women in colonial India.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article, and that the data presented have not been fabricated or falsified.
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant or financial support from public, commercial, or not-for profit funding agencies.
Participant Consent: The authors confirm that Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and confidentiality was duly maintained.
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Author Biographies
DR. GHAZAL YAQUB, Teaching Research Associate, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Dr. Ghazal Yaqub is a Teaching Research Associate at International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan. She also completed her PhD from the same institution. Her research areas include Urdu fiction and Urdu prose. She has contributed significantly to academic scholarship with twelve research articles and one book to her credit.
ZAHIDA NOOR, MPhil Urdu Scholar, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Ms. Zahida Noor is an MPhil scholar in Urdu at International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan. Her research interests include Urdu fiction and Urdu Prose.
