Chaire sécable de l’IISMM-EHESS 25-26 | Professeure invitée : Ayra Indrias Patras (Forman Christian College University, Lahore)
Ayra Indrias Patras is Assistant Professor at Forman Christian College University, Lahore, and focuses on identity marginalization and the political agency of religious minorities in Pakistan. She is the author of the book Swept Aside, A Story of Christian Sweepers in Lahore, highlighting the historical trajectory of caste based discrimination and its intersection with gender, religion, and labour in Pakistan. Her recent work includes examining the relationship of religious minorities in Pakistan with the State, the socio-political discourse on caste in Pakistan, and the political agency of low caste communities. Using the feminist lens, she elaborated on the intersectional constraints faced by women of minority communities in Pakistan, obstructing their mobility and autonomy. She advocates for the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan by engaging with civil society groups and State officials. She has been appointed as a member of the National Commission on the Status of Women by the Prime Minister of Pakistan in August 2024.
Ayra Indrias Patras will take part of the Visiting Professors Program designed by EHESS, on proposal of Mathieu Terrier (EPHE, IISMM) and Paul Rollier (CNRS, CéSor)
Intersection of Caste, Gender, Religion, and Occupation: The Story of Christian Sweepers in Pakistan
The overwhelming majority of the Punjabi Christians in Pakistan come from the most downtrodden outcaste group through en masse religious conversions from the 1870s to 1920s by western missionaries in the Indian sub-continent. The outcastes are the lowest of the low in society and perpetually destined to work in degrading occupations. In Pakistan, more than 80 percent of Christians are working as sweepers/cleaners in the sanitation and waste removal occupation. Focusing on the stigma of sanitation work in Pakistan stemming from the low caste, poor class, and subservient gender in the case of Christian female sweepers, the research underlines how caste prejudice and customary ‘master-servant’ relations combine with neo-liberal employment designs to enhance the vulnerability of sweepers to both traditional and modern forms of exploitation.
Dans le cadre du séminaire des “Jeudis de la Maison Suger”
- Jeudi 8 janvier 2026 à 18h à 19h30 – Salle de conférences (rdc), Maison Suger, Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, 16-18 rue Suger, 75006 Paris
Intersection of Caste, Religion, and Occupation: The Story of Christian Sweepers
The overwhelming majority of the Punjabi Christians in Pakistan come from the most downtrodden outcaste group through en masse religious conversions from the 1870s to 1920s by western missionaries in the Indian sub-continent. The outcastes are the lowest of the low in society and perpetually destined to work in degrading occupations. In Pakistan, more than 80 percent of Christians are working as sweepers/cleaners in the sanitation and waste removal occupation. Focusing on the stigma of sanitation work in Pakistan stemming from the low caste, poor class, and subservient gender in the case of Christian female sweepers, the research underlines how caste prejudice and customary ‘master-servant’ relations combine with neo-liberal employment designs to enhance the vulnerability of sweepers to both traditional and modern forms of exploitation.
Dans le cadre du séminaire “Actualités de la recherche sur l’Asie du Sud et l’Himalaya” animé par A. Mohammad-Arif. V. Dutoya et O. Aubriot
- Mardi 13 janvier 2026 de 14h à 16h – Salle A202, CESAH, EHESS, Campus Condorcet, Aubervilliers
State’s relation with Religious Minorities in Pakistan: Christians in Punjab as a Case Study
The subject of religious minorities in Pakistan is framed within the ambit of socio-political and historical trajectories that substantiate their marginalized status. However, little attention is paid to inquire about the relationship of religious minorities with the State on the question of equal citizenship. Based on the findings of 26 in-depth interviews with representatives of the Christian community in Lahore, the present study sheds light on the meaning of citizenship understood by people who are situated at the margins of society. While drawing inferences from the theory of intersectionality, which underscores that multiple axes of oppressions lead to the synergies of disadvantage and discrimination, the present study argues that Christian communities are positioned in the exclusive domain in the continuum of citizenship due to their internalized sense of fear and alienation on account of a separate religious identity.
Dans le cadre du séminaire “Asie du Sud” animé par C. Jaffrelot et L. Gayer
- Lundi 19 janvier 2026 de 16h à 18h – Salle Pierre Hassner, CERI, 28 rue des Saints-Pères, 75007 Paris.
Political Agency of the Low-Caste Groups in Pakistan
Caste membership, entailing social divisions, is a determining feature of the South Asian communities. Pakistan is not akin to the manifestations of caste hierarchies in its socio-political frameworks; however, this subject has received scant academic attention. The Pakistani State does not accept the prevalence of caste-based social divisions that silence the politics of castes in its official discourse. Diametrically opposite to the State’s claim, socio-cultural and political processes are governed by caste-based relations that disadvantage those who are situated at the lower rung of the caste hierarchies. In India, caste has gained much significance in the political agency and social movements against the dominance of the upper caste that emerged from the lower caste groups. Pakistan presents a different case; therefore, it necessitates dwelling upon the question of low castes’ political representations and contestations in Pakistan and probing into the nexus of disadvantaged identity markers emanating from the intersection of caste, class, religion, and gender.
Dans le cadre du séminaire “Les Midis du CéSor” animé P. Rollier
- Mardi 27 janvier 2026 de 12h à 13h30 – Salle 3.001, CéSor, EHESS, Bâtiment de recherche Nord, Campus Condorcet, Aubervilliers
Double Discrimination in the Workplaces and Womens’ Movement in Pakistan
Dans le cadre du séminaire “Les Midis du CéSor” animé P. Rollier
- Jeudi 29 janvier de 10h à 13h – Salle de séminaire 375F, Bâtiment de la Halle aux farines, Institut des Humanités, Sciences et Sociétés Université Paris Cité. 75013 Paris
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OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Chargé de diffusion scientifique (28 novembre 2025). Chaire sécable de l’IISMM-EHESS 25-26 | Professeure invitée : Ayra Indrias Patras (Forman Christian College University, Lahore). IISMM. Consulté le 21 janvier 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/158m2


