Taboo!, Fouzia Saeed
Taboo!, Fouzia Saeed
2 Rating(s)
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Taboo!
The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area

Author: Fouzia Saeed, Made for Success

Narrator: Ashlyn Kindberg

Unabridged: 11 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/15/2014

Synopsis

Taboo!: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area is a journey of discovery into the infamous red-light district of Lahore, Pakistan, known as the Shahi Mohalla (the Royal Bazaar) or Heera Mandi (the market of diamonds). The phenomenon of prostitution coupled with music and dance performances has ancient roots in South Asia. Regardless of the stigma attached to prostitution, it has for centuries given rise to many well-known performing artists. Here author Fouzia Saeed paints a more realistic picture of the phenomenon through the stories of the people living there: the musicians, the prostitutes, and their pimps, managers, and customers.

About Fouzia Saeed

Fouzia Saeed earned a PhD in education from the University of Minnesota and has spent the past twelve years in positions related to the task of engendering social change in Pakistan, with organizations such as the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Aga Khan Foundation, and the United Nations Development Program, Pakistan. She was a founder of the first private organization in Pakistan providing direct services to women in psychological crises, especially those related to rape and domestic violence.

Reviews

Goodreads review by sara on June 17, 2012

decent book...dancing girls of lahore was better.. good research...written from a completely feminist perspective..so don't completely agree w/ the author's theories...easy read, but redundant at parts... ~~ haha having gone through a women n gender studies program..i think i need to revise my review........more

Goodreads review by Hamza on December 16, 2020

I think Taboo was a good insight into the world of Pakistan's most notorious Red light district. It painted a very Mughal-esque picture of the whole ordeal, and using narratives from the local community really did leave a mark on how everything came together. However, I do have a few reservations abo......more

Goodreads review by Hasan on February 06, 2015

Taboo is one of a kind for me in that it's the only book that I have read on this topic so far. Fouzia Saeed has managed to reproduce her interaction with the people living in the Shahi Mohalla without bias or judgement; indeed, at times it seems morally bland. This however, is a reason to celebrate......more

Goodreads review by Nouman on January 12, 2022

If one has exposure to social media, and feminist literature, they shouldn't approach this book with the objective of understanding the reasons behind prostitution and why it is tabooed. The book is largely silent on it, and even towards the end, where it goes into the reasons, those are largely sup......more

Goodreads review by RachelAnne on December 18, 2013

The subject-matter is rich and fascinating, but I found the author's handling of her material a little disappointing. While I understand that she was trying for an informal tone, I would have appreciated a bit more exposition upfront about the social structure of the Mohalla. Also, there were severa......more

Quotes

“The book breaks the myth propagated about prostitutes in the society and presents the reality of their lives as they exist.” News on Sunday (Manchester)

“An extremely gripping book, bristling with facts.” Nation Literary Supplement

“Fouzia Saeed’s work is original and extremely significant. It is one of those rare undertakings which a bold and enterprising researcher comes up with, once in decades.” Newsline (Karachi)

“A product of authentic, honest, and unbiased research, narrated in the form of an ethnography, which is an important tool for taking one aspect of a society as a window into the larger system.” Star Weekend (Bangladesh)

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