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Culture of Pakistan
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Culture of Pakistan
The culture of Pakistan (Urdu: ثقافتِ پاکستان, romanized: S̱eqāfat-e Pākistān) lies at the intersection of Turco-Persian, Arab, and Hindustani cultural traditions. Over centuries, the region has developed a distinct cultural identity, shaped by a fusion of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and North Indian influences. Additionally, Pakistan's diverse ethnic groups maintain unique cultural traditions, particularly in dress, cuisine, and religious practices, with certain pre-Islamic customs continuing to influence local traditions despite the overarching framework of Islamic culture. Marriages and other major events are also significantly different among the different ethnic groups.[citation needed]
Until 1979, Pakistan maintained a relatively liberal Islamic identity; however, the Islamization policies introduced that year led to a widespread infusion of conservative Islamic principles into various aspects of culture and daily life. This shift significantly reshaped the historical values and traditions of the country's Muslim population, reinforcing religious conservatism in social and cultural norms.
Civil society in Pakistan is largely hierarchical, emphasising local cultural etiquette and traditional Islamic values that govern personal and political life. The basic family unit is the extended family, although for socio-economic reasons there has been a growing trend towards nuclear families. The traditional dress for both men and women is the shalwar kameez; trousers, jeans, and shirts are also popular among men. In recent decades, the middle class has increased to around 35 million and the upper and upper-middle classes to around 17 million, and power is shifting from rural landowners to the urbanised elites. Pakistani festivals, including Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Ramazan, Christmas, Easter, Holi, and Diwali, are mostly religious in origin. Increasing globalisation has resulted in Pakistan ranking 56th on the A.T. Kearney/FP Globalization Index.
Pakistan has literature in Urdu, Persian, Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi, English, and many other languages. The Pakistan Academy of Letters is a large literary community that promotes literature and poetry in Pakistan and abroad. The National Library publishes and promotes literature in the country. Before the 19th century, Pakistani literature consisted mainly of lyric and religious poetry and mystical and folkloric works. During the colonial period, native literary figures were influenced by western literary realism and took up increasingly varied topics and narrative forms. Prose fiction is now very popular.
The national poet of Pakistan, Muhammad Iqbal, wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian. He was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation and encouraged Muslims all over the world to bring about a successful revolution (regarding to the freedom from Colonial powers). Well-known figures in contemporary Pakistani Urdu literature include Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mirza Ghalib, Ahmed Faraz, Parveen Shakir and Saadat Hasan Manto. Sadequain and Gulgee are known for their calligraphy and paintings. The Sufi poets Shah Abdul Latif, Bulleh Shah, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, and Khawaja Farid enjoy considerable popularity in Pakistan. Mirza Kalich Beg has been termed the father of modern Sindhi prose. Historically, philosophical development in the country was dominated by Muhammad Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Asad, Maududi, and Mohammad Ali Johar.
Ideas from British and American philosophy greatly shaped philosophical development in Pakistan. Analysts such as M. M. Sharif and Zafar Hassan established the first major Pakistani philosophical movement in 1947.[clarification needed] After the 1971 war, philosophers such as Jalaludin Abdur Rahim, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Gianchandani, and Malik Khalid incorporated Marxism into Pakistan's philosophical thinking. Influential work by Manzoor Ahmad, Jaun Elia, Hasan Askari Rizvi, and Abdul Khaliq brought mainstream social, political, and analytical philosophy to the fore in academia. Works by Noam Chomsky have influenced philosophical ideas in various fields of social and political philosophy.
Pakistani music ranges from diverse forms of provincial folk music and traditional styles such as Qawwali and Ghazal to modern musical forms that fuse traditional and western music.
Pakistan has various regional dances including:
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Culture of Pakistan
The culture of Pakistan (Urdu: ثقافتِ پاکستان, romanized: S̱eqāfat-e Pākistān) lies at the intersection of Turco-Persian, Arab, and Hindustani cultural traditions. Over centuries, the region has developed a distinct cultural identity, shaped by a fusion of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and North Indian influences. Additionally, Pakistan's diverse ethnic groups maintain unique cultural traditions, particularly in dress, cuisine, and religious practices, with certain pre-Islamic customs continuing to influence local traditions despite the overarching framework of Islamic culture. Marriages and other major events are also significantly different among the different ethnic groups.[citation needed]
Until 1979, Pakistan maintained a relatively liberal Islamic identity; however, the Islamization policies introduced that year led to a widespread infusion of conservative Islamic principles into various aspects of culture and daily life. This shift significantly reshaped the historical values and traditions of the country's Muslim population, reinforcing religious conservatism in social and cultural norms.
Civil society in Pakistan is largely hierarchical, emphasising local cultural etiquette and traditional Islamic values that govern personal and political life. The basic family unit is the extended family, although for socio-economic reasons there has been a growing trend towards nuclear families. The traditional dress for both men and women is the shalwar kameez; trousers, jeans, and shirts are also popular among men. In recent decades, the middle class has increased to around 35 million and the upper and upper-middle classes to around 17 million, and power is shifting from rural landowners to the urbanised elites. Pakistani festivals, including Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Ramazan, Christmas, Easter, Holi, and Diwali, are mostly religious in origin. Increasing globalisation has resulted in Pakistan ranking 56th on the A.T. Kearney/FP Globalization Index.
Pakistan has literature in Urdu, Persian, Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi, English, and many other languages. The Pakistan Academy of Letters is a large literary community that promotes literature and poetry in Pakistan and abroad. The National Library publishes and promotes literature in the country. Before the 19th century, Pakistani literature consisted mainly of lyric and religious poetry and mystical and folkloric works. During the colonial period, native literary figures were influenced by western literary realism and took up increasingly varied topics and narrative forms. Prose fiction is now very popular.
The national poet of Pakistan, Muhammad Iqbal, wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian. He was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation and encouraged Muslims all over the world to bring about a successful revolution (regarding to the freedom from Colonial powers). Well-known figures in contemporary Pakistani Urdu literature include Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mirza Ghalib, Ahmed Faraz, Parveen Shakir and Saadat Hasan Manto. Sadequain and Gulgee are known for their calligraphy and paintings. The Sufi poets Shah Abdul Latif, Bulleh Shah, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, and Khawaja Farid enjoy considerable popularity in Pakistan. Mirza Kalich Beg has been termed the father of modern Sindhi prose. Historically, philosophical development in the country was dominated by Muhammad Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Asad, Maududi, and Mohammad Ali Johar.
Ideas from British and American philosophy greatly shaped philosophical development in Pakistan. Analysts such as M. M. Sharif and Zafar Hassan established the first major Pakistani philosophical movement in 1947.[clarification needed] After the 1971 war, philosophers such as Jalaludin Abdur Rahim, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Gianchandani, and Malik Khalid incorporated Marxism into Pakistan's philosophical thinking. Influential work by Manzoor Ahmad, Jaun Elia, Hasan Askari Rizvi, and Abdul Khaliq brought mainstream social, political, and analytical philosophy to the fore in academia. Works by Noam Chomsky have influenced philosophical ideas in various fields of social and political philosophy.
Pakistani music ranges from diverse forms of provincial folk music and traditional styles such as Qawwali and Ghazal to modern musical forms that fuse traditional and western music.
Pakistan has various regional dances including:
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