Political Work on a Cultural Front
The Postcolonial Avant-garde of Lahore’s Pak Tea House during the Zia Military Dictatorship (1977–88)
In: Historical MaterialismSearch for other papers by Kristin Plys in
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Abstract
After South Asia won its flag-independence from Britain, Pakistani artists pursued two distinct strategies for the shared goal of producing art in the service of national liberation. A group of communist artists sought to innovate new cultural forms to serve movements of the left, while others endeavoured to recover the pre-colonial Islamicate culture of South Asia to serve state-building efforts. During the Zia coup in 1977, protest poetry and art of the Pak Tea House, Lahore’s art and literary salon, inspired resistance against the military dictatorship. This protest was framed not merely against the military dictatorship, but also against US imperialism more broadly. By examining Walter Rodney’s and Frantz Fanon’s ideal role of the postcolonial artist or intellectual, I show how the role of art in leftist politics was rethought in the aftermath of the Zia coup by the artists and leftists who frequented the Pak Tea House. What the discussions about politically engaged art that took place in the Pak Tea House during the Zia Coup reveal is that novelty and abstraction are important strategies in creating art that can combat imperialist dictatorships.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
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Political Work on a Cultural Front
The Postcolonial Avant-garde of Lahore’s Pak Tea House during the Zia Military Dictatorship (1977–88)
In: Historical MaterialismSearch for other papers by Kristin Plys in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
After South Asia won its flag-independence from Britain, Pakistani artists pursued two distinct strategies for the shared goal of producing art in the service of national liberation. A group of communist artists sought to innovate new cultural forms to serve movements of the left, while others endeavoured to recover the pre-colonial Islamicate culture of South Asia to serve state-building efforts. During the Zia coup in 1977, protest poetry and art of the Pak Tea House, Lahore’s art and literary salon, inspired resistance against the military dictatorship. This protest was framed not merely against the military dictatorship, but also against US imperialism more broadly. By examining Walter Rodney’s and Frantz Fanon’s ideal role of the postcolonial artist or intellectual, I show how the role of art in leftist politics was rethought in the aftermath of the Zia coup by the artists and leftists who frequented the Pak Tea House. What the discussions about politically engaged art that took place in the Pak Tea House during the Zia Coup reveal is that novelty and abstraction are important strategies in creating art that can combat imperialist dictatorships.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 584 | 121 | 21 |
| Full Text Views | 54 | 12 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 120 | 31 | 5 |