The Looking Glass is a 6-episode docuseries that explores the themes of power, gender, and history in the context of Pakistan. It serves as a pedagogical resource by itself and it can be combined with activities featured in our Curricular Resource Pack.
To facilitate a screening of the full series, you can use the compiled version of all six episodes available here.
POWER
History is written by victors, violence is remembered by victims, and culture is constructed by those in power. How do we determine what is real, then? To what extent are my perceptions my own? The idea is not to be sceptical but to be critical. Critical towards the information that we absorb. Where is that information coming from? How is it being transmitted, and by whom? Who is it about? And, more importantly, what we often forget, who is it omitting? To be critical is to develop a new way of seeing. One that recognises, realises, and reinterprets. Reclamation often comes from making visible what is hidden or forgotten.
JUSTICE
Justice is blind in more ways than one. It may not recognize how hegemonic interests colour its perceptions. It may not realize that the arm of the law may not reach those on the margins. It may not represent the best interests of those who need its protection the most. Justice is as fair as the people who make and practice the laws ordained.
SAFETY
When you learn to fear the very thing that has promised to protect you, what do you do? How is this fear formed and how is it reinforced in daily life? Who are the criminals, and who are the victims? How can we identify violence when it is disguised as safety?
FAMILY
Our first, foremost, and most fundamental experiences happen with our families. They set our expectations from the world. With their support and protection, we can persevere through our struggles and demand our rights from the rest of society. Without their support and protection, we can lose our social standing and become vulnerable to societal violence. Rejection, abuse and omission from within the family have lasting effects on our social and financial success as they may limit our access, mobility, and visibility in society.
EDUCATION & RELIGION
What are the pillars of society? How do we form a society that embodies the best practices of communal and individual living? What is a basic right? Education and religion have been force de majeurs in shaping our lives as people, and our past, present and future as human beings.
ECONOMY
Justice is a luxury for those who can afford it. Our financial standing not only dictates our standard of living but determines how much power, respect and social capital we have. Those who fall short become footnotes of histories, cultures, and economies. How do we begin to empower those pushed to the margins? How do we make justice affordable?
