Social Construction of Extremism: Case Study of South Punjab

Sidra Jamil, Naeem Ahmed, Sibghat U. Bajwa, Nazar Hussain

Abstract


South Punjab, the land of Sufi saints, and epitome of peace and love has transformed into the fulcra of militancy in last two decades. The current study draws the connection between society (social-organisation) and social interaction with the construction of individual’s perceptions and behaviours. The study also underscores the flaws lie in the social composition of society of South Punjab that contributes to the construction of violent perceptions and behaviours, and trigger individuals to join militant wings. The research was conducted in Multan- a district of South Punjab.  The qualitative methods: ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews are used in this research. Purpose sampling is used to select sample population encompassing people from diverse social backgrounds. The findings of the research unfold those prime social institutions including religion, education, economic and government are mal-functioning, due to which region became heartland of militancy.


Keywords


Society; Social Interaction; Militancy; South Punjab

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33687/jsas.009.03.3865

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