The cry of Sakeena: a post-nationalist critique of violence in South Asia

Violence, both of the state and the non-state, is central to the construction of the national state in South Asia. Both Sadat Hasan Manto and Fakir Alamgir, albeit at different historical conjunctures and through different medium, have critically exposed the horrifying outcome of what is commonly regarded as the birth of the nation. A post-nationalist critique of violence, including feminist perspectives, allows us to see how intricate has been the relationship between alienation, violence and the construction of the nation, nationalism and nationhood. The sooner we take cognizance of this fact the sooner we will be able to transform and go beyond the nation.