Azher Hameed Qamar
I am a writer, anthropologist, and teacher. I obtained my doctorate from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU, Trondheim) Norway. My Ph.D. research was ethnographic study on the social value of the child and infant care belief practices in Punjab. My recent study is about the social resilience of young adult migrants, and I explore young adult migrants' lived experiences and social workers' professional experiences. My research interest are broadly related to children, young people, families, wellbeing, social work, migration, social resilience, and social integration.
2023
Using inductive thematic analysis, we explored a participant-centered perspective on the support system and decision-making process. Findings reveal that the major challenges to decision-making include uncertain and complex situations, hospital-related constraints, and sociocultural context. Both non-critical and critical case management are used in individual and group decision-making processes. The residents use knowledge-based, emotional, and instrumental support to make decisions.
2023
As I experienced as a social anthropologist, I see unstructured interviews as a ‘conversation iceberg’ where the researcher uses the art of social interaction, reflexivity, and flexibility to gain the depth of required data. The conversation is directed by the researcher’s good listening skills and the participant’s trust and confidence to share his/her story. While the researcher uses verbal and non-verbal probes, the conversation takes the researcher deep into the story through its explicit and implicit details
2023
This article provides theoretical knowledge about three dimensions of social capital, elaborating on the interconnections and need for theoretical triangulation in climate change studies. The three approaches to frame social capital in the context of climate change are interconnected and built on one another to investigate and comprehend the social dimension of resilience.
2023
The current concept of social resilience, which developed from the classic definition of resilience, neglects social resilience as a social phenomenon including social experiences and practices in the face of change and adversity. I argue that framing social resilience as a capacity or ability undermines its characteristics as a complex and contextualized social phenomenon that contributes to adaptive and transformative abilities in the context of migrants' lived experiences. In this article, I present a social constructionist approach to conceptualize social resilience. From a life course perspective, I emphasize on migrants' lived experiences. In this context, I describe status, network, support, and visibility as four institutionally embedded dimensions of social resilience that interconnect environmental factors to impact social experiences and practices. Social resilience is a phenomenon characterized by migrants' lived experiences marked by uncertainty and turning points embodied in the host country's political, economic, cultural, and social contexts.
2022
How does a child contribute to the well-being and social position of the family in the community? This broader question excavates the social meanings of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and infancy shifting the focus of economic and demographic theories on the value of the children to the social value of the child.This essay offers a synopsis of the social value of the child and the social construction of the value of the child in the global south. This brief article concludes that studies emphasizing the value of the children in the global south should investigate the intricate and relevant interconnections between the psychological, familial, and religious value of the child, all of which contribute to the social value of the child
2022
This essay offers a synopsis of the social value of the child and the social construction of the value of the child in the global south. This brief article concludes that studies emphasizing the value of the children in the global south should investigate the intricate and relevant interconnections between the psychological, familial, and religious value of the child, all of which contribute to the social value of the child-
2022
Attending a doll's marriage ceremony was one of those encounters that refreshed my fieldwork memories while also providing insight into child socialization through play activities. An ethnographer's scientific task after fieldwork is to read, describe, and interpret the pictures. As a student and researcher in childhood studies, I was fascinated by the pictures' explicit and implicit details. Hence, I developed a picture reading technique that I used to read pictures as field notes. I named this technique 'SAFSI,' which stands for See, Ask, Find, See, and Interpret. Here, I elaborate on this process by using my participation in a doll's marriage as an example.
-
2021
As a result of the devastating health effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the lockdown has been considered a safety measure in many countries. In Pakistan, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in February 2020. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate people’s risk perception and protective behavior during the lockdown. Twenty-two (22) participants from eight big cities across Pakistan were interviewed. A six-step reflective thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The study focused on risk perception and protective behaviors. Our main analytical goal was to understand how risk perception shapes human behavior in the context of lockdown, pandemic-related information flow, and corresponding meaning-making. The study revealed that people influenced by information and advice campaigns form a perception of risk that has shaped their protective behavior. They used familiar means of coping with distress, including the search for strength through religious belief practices and following the precautions recommended by health professionals through the media.
2021
The study aims to explore the evil eye belief practices among Saraiki mothers in a village in South Punjab, Pakistan. This study unfolds three aspects of the evil eye phenomenon; first, the ‘diagnosis’ of the evil eye that constitute the ineffectiveness of the available modern medicine, second the socio-cultural nexus of folk medical system and unmanageable or unexplained threats, and third the protective and remedial practices that disclose indigenous healthcare culture. Using semi-structured interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis, five interviews were conducted and analyzed. Findings revealed the perceived failure of the available modern medicine when the evil eye effects are diagnosed. People religiously believe in the evil eye and relate it with the feelings of envy that bring harm to the child by resisting the effects of any medicine and internal immunity. The study concludes jealousy, hatred, and deprivation as primary causes, and religious and folk remedial practices provide a magico-religious shield allowing the effectiveness of other medical interventions. This study brings to light the need for cultural competence of medical professionals while working in indigenous communities where modern medicine cannot work if it is not gradually replacing or working in-line with the folk medical beliefs.
2021
As a result of the devastating health effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the lockdown has been considered a safety measure in many countries. In Pakistan, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in February 2020. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate people’s risk perception and protective behavior during the lockdown. Twenty-two (22) participants from eight big cities across Pakistan were interviewed. A six-step reflective thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The study focused on risk perception and protective behaviors. Our main analytical goal was to understand how risk perception shapes human behavior in the context of lockdown, pandemic-related information flow, and corresponding meaning-making. The study revealed that people influenced by information and advice campaigns form a perception of risk that has shaped their protective behavior. They used familiar means of coping with distress, including the search for strength through religious belief practices and following the precautions recommended by health professionals through the media.
2021
This study aimed to investigate the responses of university students (late adolescents) about their conceptualization of a child, exploring the characteristics they associate with being a child. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, responses to one open-ended question, what is a child? (N=75), were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. In phase 2, students (N=90) filled in an online closed-ended survey that was derived from the subthemes that emerged from the qualitative data collected in phase 1. Findings revealed multiple interconnected aspects of the conceptualization of the child, making it a complex whole. This study is helpful for understanding the concept of the child grounded in various theoretical and mythological categories that portray the complexities of existing dichotomies that often come up as interconnected in traditional societies.
2021
In Pakistani society family as a unit of the socio-cultural system is a primary institution for children upbringing and socialization. However, in the last few decades with the increased divorce rate in Pakistani families, the psychosocial wellbeing of women and children is badly affected. In Pakistani socio-cultural context divorce and adjustment after divorce are big issues for a woman. The present study is focused on the subjective experiences of the divorced women regarding the reasons for divorce, its impact on their lives, and later adjustment. Six divorced women with children were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. To explore their lived experiences Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used for data analysis. The emergent themes provided the reasons for divorce such as in-laws interference, lack of mutual understanding, financial exploitation, and torturous environment. The impact of divorce on women’s lives included social stigmatization, psychological pain, economic crisis, and remarriage issues. Findings also revealed the perceptions about divine accountability, matrilineal support, and the value of children as coping resources for later adjustment. The findings of the study are helpful for family counselors, educators, public and private social welfare organizations who are engaged in family-related issues.
2020
This article offers a qualitative analysis of the parent’s self-reported observations about their child’s behavior diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The primary objective is to explore the parents’ observation about the behavior of the child with ASD and to gain a preliminary understanding of parental concerns that lead them to Autism Center for diagnosis. Four parents of boys were selected through purposive sampling and were interviewed. Using conventional qualitative content analysis, significant statements were extracted, and parents’ observations were sorted in different categories that were later emerged into themes. Five core categories emerged from the data; stubbornness, fixation, communication problems, poor socialization, and intellectual disability. Parental concerns included hyperactivity, repetitive behavior, communication issues, and throwing behavior. This preliminary study provides a knowledge base to improve parental counseling and widen
the research horizon for further exploration. Parents’ observations reported in this study deliver an investigative platform to structure the in-depth qualitative research that will be useful to understand and contextualize the cases of ASD
the research horizon for further exploration. Parents’ observations reported in this study deliver an investigative platform to structure the in-depth qualitative research that will be useful to understand and contextualize the cases of ASD
2020
Using my own teaching experience in quarantined-at-home settings, I describe and reflect on my e-learning plan and its implementation. I am teaching two groups of undergraduate students consisting of 80 students. I have taught half of the course content during the first half of the semester in a formal university setting. However, after the novel corona breakout, we are engaged in online teaching. In line with university guidelines and available support, I initiated my e-learning plan based on blended learning and led by the core objectives to maintain accessibility and quality. Using asynchronous and synchronous modes I used common and easily available options to enhance two-way teacher-student communication. The feedback that I received after three weeks of implementation of my e-learning plan proved my understanding of the study context as workable and realistic. My conceptual models about the objectives leading the e-learning plan and the implementation model presented in this article can be helpful for the teachers teaching social sciences for the first time in ‘quarantined’ settings.
2020
This paper aims to provide invaluable information about the fieldwork experience of the author as a native researcher in rural Punjab Pakistan. The author presents and reflects the fieldwork challenges faced and the strategies used to overcome the challenges. The primary objective of this paper is to discuss the methodological strategies to face the challenges of doing at-home ethnography. This paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in native context. Dealing with contextual complexity and sensitivity with the author’s native learning, the author used native knowledge as a useful resource to investigate insider’s perspective on infant care belief practices. This paper provides important insight of at-home ethnography and technical understanding to conduct fieldwork in native contexts. Based on my ethnographic fieldwork, this article contributes in contemporary debates on the challenges in doing at-home ethnography.
2018
The ‘Child’ is a value-laden concept in rural Punjabi society with foremost pronatal values. The woman is primarily responsible for childbearing. Fertility is valued for the social value of the child that raises the status of the woman as woman-being and a mother. It is believed that the child removes the curse of childlessness and sets a woman from social demotion. Infertility or other related issues that cause congruent child mortality are serious and often perceived as Athra, an “evil sickness” to be cured by religious healing. This ethnographic study investigates perceptions of rural Punjabi women about the socially valued child and the fears attached to Athra. This study was conducted in a village in southern Punjab. The study explores the social value of the child, the status of the mother, the ‘unexplained’ nature of Athra, and its contagious effects.
2017
The Punjabi postpartum tradition is called sawa mahina (‘five weeks’). This study investigates infant health care belief practices in rural Punjab and looks at the social significance of infant care beliefs practiced during sawa mahina. During six months of fieldwork, using participant observation and unstructured interviews as primary research methods, the study explored the prevalent postpartum tradition from a childcare perspective. A Punjabi child holds a social value regarding familial, religious, and emotional values. The five-week traditional postpartum period provides an insight into mother–child attachment, related child care belief practices, and the social construction of infancy. A child’s agency is recognised in the embodied mother–child relationship, and a child is seen in a sympathetic connection with the mother. Establishing an early foundation of ascribed identities is another important part of postpartum belief practices.
2016
The belief in the evil eye is associated with feelings of envy that brings harm to children. In Punjabi Muslim culture the evil eye is a threat to a child’s health before and after birth. This article investigates the “evil eye” belief and protective measures adopted by Punjabis to refract it. The study was conducted in a Pakistani Punjabi village. Findings reveal a dominant magico-religious approach, along with gradually diminishing folk remedies.
2015
This article deals with the concept of honor, shame and modesty of an Indian woman as depicted in popular Hindi movies and as described in religious and cultural traditions. A woman has to obey certain cultural and traditional norms to secure her Laj. This article offers a socio-cultural analysis of a Hindi movie Lajja released in 2001, specifically focused on an Indian woman’s religious and social status in Indian society and underlying discriminations. This movie is distinctive because it brings to light different themes about a woman’s status (e.g. Husband’s lordship vs. Woman’s dignity and self-respect, female infanticide, dowry, exploitation, and class discrimination) in India while targeting atrocities committed against Indian women. This article describes the mainly feminine concept ‘Laj’ in the light of the themes as depicted in the movie and as presented in Hindu religious and cultural traditions.
2015
In the West, childhood is considered a right of children to be free from adult-world responsibilities. However, in a non-Western context, children with gradual progress in their biological age and physical development participate in the adult world according to their livelihood conditions and social context. They are perceived as competent to play that role and contribute to household and livelihood activities. In the rural context, children are seen as active social actors with agency and they are not separated from the adult world. Their participation is perceived as a process of socialization for becoming future adults. Hence, a rural child is an active and agentic „being‟ but in connection with its social context it is a „becoming‟ for its social upbringing and family well-being. After a review of some recent theoretical developments and case studies from various other parts of the world, this paper presents some findings from my own field research in Pakistan.
2015
Consulting religion and magic for healing is an important aspect of healing belief practices. Magical thinking provides space for culturally cognitive patterns to integrate belief practices. Tona, a layman’s approach to healing that describes magico-religious (fusion of magic and religion) and secular magic practices in rural Punjab, Pakistan, is an example of magico-religious and secular magical practice. The purpose of this study is to analyse tona as it is practiced to cure childhood diseases (sokra and sharwa) in Muslim Punjab, Pakistan. This is an ethnographic study I conducted using participant observation and unstructured interviews as the primary research methods. The study produced an in-depth analysis of tona as a healing belief practice in the light of Frazer’s principles of magical thinking and sympathetic magic. The study provides a deeper understanding of the magical thinking in magico-religious healing belief practices.
2014
Challenges Associated with Primary Education in Rural Punjab, Pakistan Primary Education in Rural Punjab, Pakistan (BOOK)
Primary Education in Pakistan has been a major challenge especially in rural areas that are culturally rich and rigid and where it has always been ignored as compared to urban areas. Exploring the parents, teachers' perceptions about education, performance of public and private education sector, children daily life and integration of informal and formal education, this study disclosed the challenges other than quantitative challenges in rights-based education provision. This study pursues a qualitative approach for data collection, and partially quantitative analysis to support qualitative study of the topic. Observation, interviews with parents, teachers and school-owners and children questionnaires was the major source of data collection. On a small-scale essay/paragraph writing as children friendly method was also used. With a total of 128 individuals involved in the research, of whom 86 percent were children and 60 percent were female, the study explores important challenges associated with education in rural areas of the Punjab.
2013
Evil is a power that may possess a human to commit sins. Evil is all negative, conflicting and opposing to the all positive ‘good’. Religious descriptions of evil and good often relate it to the opposing forces led by the Devil and God respectively where human is weak and vulnerable. Arrogance and envy are two satanic traits that occupy human nature to deviate him from the ‘good’. Islam describes a variety of evil acts that cause destruction, disobedience, tyranny and hopelessness in human societies. According to Islamic traditions, arrogance and envy are satanic obsessions. The evil eye is one of the evils triggered by envious self of the human under the influence of the Evil (Satan). Humans, under the obsession of this evil, may bring harm to their fellow men, intentionally or unintentionally. Since health and prosperity is valuable for survival, the evil eye can destroy them. Humans can overcome these obsessions only with the blessing of God and invoking their innate righteousness. Humans can protect themselves from the harmful and destructive effects of the evil eye, if they trust in God and seek His refuge. Islam emphasizes the Quran having healing
and protective powers, and recommends following the Islamic traditions set by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and advised in Quran to gain protection and cure.
and protective powers, and recommends following the Islamic traditions set by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and advised in Quran to gain protection and cure.
2012
Pregnancy is considered a special period in a woman’s life. There are myths about pregnancy that describe gender predictions, dietary beliefs, pregnancy signs, and risk of magic or witchcraft. Majority of these myths is in connection with the early childcare. In traditional societies midwives and experienced women practice and teach these myths to young mothers. Mother who feel special and vulnerable, at the same time feel secure in following these socially transmitted myths. Rural Punjab, a province of Pakistan has a culture rich with beliefs and myths. Myths about pregnancy are significant in rural culture and pregnancy care is seen as mother and childcare. This paper presents my research reflections that I did as a part of my Ph.D studies about early childcare beliefs and rituals practiced in rural Punjab, Pakistan.
2012
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international convention for civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. UNCRC is a successful UN convention accepted by the whole world (except US and Somalia). Nations ratifying thisinternational convention are bound to it by international law. This paper is a brief presentation about its historical background, guiding principles, and main theoretical discussion.