This is a story of becoming — not in spite of the silence, but through it.
Creator:
Lavleen Walia ਲਵਲੀਨ ਵਾਲੀਆ
For South Asian women, one cannot escape the clutches of izzat – a cultural concept (akin to “honour”) that dictates nearly ever aspect of their lives including how they carry themselves in the home and in public, who they are friends with, and who their partners are. Moreover, asymmetrical gender expectations in many South Asian communities (including diasporic ones) often mean that South Asian women and girls are held to a much higher standard for maintaining the family’s honour than are South Asian men and boys (who are certainly also subject to expectations based on izzat too). In a series of poems, Lavleen articulates the different ways in which her life (which is stereotypical of many other South Asian Canadian women’s), along with familial interactions and her connection with herself, have all been strongly impacted by izzat. Even if your langauge doesn’t include the concept of izzat, has your life been impacted by a similar concept?