Women Without Borders: A Visual Exhibit About the Lives of Pakistani Women

Pakistan National Center for the Arts, November 2 and 3, 2023

Pasadena City College, July- August 2024

From the Pasadena City College Exhibit

The exhibit Women Without Borders: A Visual Study of Women’s Lives in Pakistan is now on display at Pasadena City College. Women Without Borders is the result of a ten year relationship with Dr.  Munazza Yaqoob and the women of the Critical Thinking Forum of the  International Islamic University, Islamabad.  

In October, 2023 we collaborated on a five week journey in Pakistan  from the mountains of Chitral to the desert of Umerkot and I  interviewed women about feminism, patriarchy, the women’s movement, and their ideas for the future. It was an extraordinary experience. My relationships with the women of the IIUI is not only important to me, but it is essential to my understanding of women’s rights here in the  United States and globally. 

 Women have gained rights and power throughout the 20th century and  now we are experiencing reversal. Patriarchy lives within us, it survives. I believe that women must challenge restrictive patriarchal norms locally  and globally.  I am certain we can create powerful networks of women. My friendships with the women of the Critical Thinking Forum at the IIUI remind me  that we are connected across our borders. Our friendships strengthen us globally. 

Thanks to the Dahlen Family of Pasadena for their support and  generosity that enabled the travel to Pakistan in 2023 to create this  exhibit. Thank you to Pasadena City College and the United Nations Association, Pasadena for their generous support.  

Hina Abidi was instrumental to the depth and richness of this exhibit. The International Islamic University, Islamabad, the Critical Thinking Forum, the women who participated in the interviews and Behbud Crafts all deserve my utmost appreciation for their time, generosity and infinite support.

"I appreciate the work, I appreciate the art and certainly the chronicling of life ...it' so important for our community to reach out to other parts of the world and share our cultures, share  our food and share our history because our futures are so intertwined.. This is a pivotal moment in time to be engaging in arts, in culture,  and sharing the democracy. Congratulations and thank you for bringing terrific work and art to Pasadena and Pasadena City College." - Mayor Victor Gordo

…truly an exceptional exhibit. Reading through the quotes and looking at the pictures, I could tell just how much time and care was put into delivering these important messages. Walking through this exhibit is the kind of experience that keeps you thinking about it long after you’re gone.” - Mckenna Dahlen

Really wonderful exhibit! I’ve never felt so simultaneously depressed and inspired. Congratulations." -Syd Smith

The exhibit was absolutely stunning. No two pieces or stories were the same. At first I was captivated by the sheer beauty of each piece, marveling at how perfectly accurate the prints were on the textile - so vibrant that you felt yourself connecting with each of the women through their eyes. The bed and the video were undeniably the most impactful, demanding attention, and conjuring a call to action. This is by far and away the most important, current, Feminist work that must be experienced by all. May our sisters' faces, voices, and stories be seen and heard across the world.  – Lori Touloumian

The Story of My Work in Pakistan

In Islamabad with IIUI academics

2013, My first trip

My relationship with the women of the Critical Thinking Forum (CTF) at the International Islamic University, Islamabad began in 2013 when Dr. Munazza Yaqoob invited me to come to Islamabad to screen "Feminist: Stories from Women's Liberation."

In Cottonwood Canyon with members of Arroyo Foothills Conservatory, Pasadena

2016, They visit Pasadena and I am invited back

Later, in the in summer of 2016, Dr. Yaqoob asked me to be the coordinator of a State Department funded trip to bring eight women Islamic University academics to Los Angeles for a cultural exchange trip. I set up five panel discussions throughout Los Angeles. Dr. Munazza Yaqoob and I discussed and formulated the topic for each venue.

  • Los Angeles Public Library: Women in USA + Pakistan: Seeing each other and expanding our vision

  • West Hollywood Library: Visual Portrayals of Women: An analysis of Pakistani and American Media

  • Cottonwood Canyon in Pasadena: Urban Green Spaces, From California to Islamabad

  • Quaker Meeting House: Pakistani Women: Religion and Peace

  • Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising: Observing Fashion in the Post-Feminist Era: Global Trends from Pakistan to the US

They stayed in Old Town Pasadena and the trip also included visits to the homes of friends, a personal tour of Fox Studios, Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles and Disneyland.

Again, in  December of 2016, I was asked to travel to Islamabad and be one of their keynote speakers at the Women and the Environment conference, another State Department event. I screened some clips from my new film.

In Pakistan with members of Women Without Borders. Clockwise from left, Hina Abidi, Dr. Sofia Hussain, Dr. Sonia Irum, Dr. Munazza Yaqoob, Jennifer Hall Lee

2023, The Project

WOMEN WITHOUT BORDERS: A VISUAL EXHIBIT OF WOMEN’S LIVES IN PAKISTAN

"As you look at Jennifer’s photographs—printed on jute and placed in hand- embroidered “frames” sewn by the women of Behbud—I hope you reflect on the lives of these women and their connection to the broader movement for women’s liberation worldwide. When we truly see each other, and understand that we are all connected, we can better join together to call for collective action on the parts of governments and civil societies to reverse the alarming, backward trend of women’s rights globally.

- Hillary Rodham Clinton, June 26, 2024 from the letter for the exhibit now on display at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, Califorina in the Boone and V galleries on campus

I returned from a five week visit to Pakistan with Dr. Munazza Yaqoob and Ms. Hina Abidi, past president of the Pakistan Arts Council of the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. This was my third trip to Pakistan. The trip culminated in a photo and film exhibit at the Pakistan National Arts Council.

In 2018 I received a Fulbright award to teach women’s liberation movement history in Pakistan. (Pakistan was not accepting scholars at that time.) I am a Fulbright Finalist. The foundation of the Fulbright project is in this 2023 project, Women Without Borders.

The aim of "Women Without Borders: A Visual Study of Lives of Women in Pakistan" is to identify the differences and, more importantly, the commonalities between the status of women in Pakistan and the United States. 

Cross-cultural studies carried out by Western feminists often depict women in developing nations as oppressed without any agency. The representation of women in a one-dimensional manner has had a detrimental impact on the advancement of women's rights, widening the gap between Western women and those residing in developing countries.  In the present circumstances, it is imperative to foster collaborative efforts that facilitate the building of meaningful relationships between women from the United States and Pakistan. These connections would serve as platforms for discussing and projecting alternative narratives with regard to their struggles and resilience. Rather than serving as counterproductive saviors of Pakistani women, American women must challenge restrictive patriarchal norms as equal partners and create powerful networks of women who can overcome a variety of challenges and collaborate to build more equitable social structures.

The initiative encourages the inclusion of women from both the United States and Pakistan as equal participants in challenging patriarchal norms and establishing robust networks of women who are capable of addressing diverse barriers and working together to form more equitable systems of society.