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Sara Niazi
213-FLL/PHDENG/F23
PhD English Literature
Dr. Monazza Yaqoob
Environmental Humanities
Course Code 822
May 27, 2024

Nomadic Ecofeminist Voice in Thinner Than Skin by Uzma Aslam Khan

Abstract

In this study I aim to present an analysis of how multiple ecofeminist voices in the
novel Thinner Than Skin (2012) by Uzma Aslam Khan are audible in different contexts of
nomadism. This study focuses how through the feminine voices the nomads of the Northern
areas of Pakistan, who belong to the altitudes of Himalayan and Karakoram ranges are un-
silenced and how the post 9/11 world order, has caused irreparable damage to the ancient
nomadic lifestyle and the ecosystem linked with the nomads in Pakistan and also how the
global media prefers to remain silence about this serious environmental matter. This study
focuses on the drastic repercussions of ‘war on terror’ waged by the US in the north-western
regions and the disasters caused due to the ‘developmental projects’ launched by China in
the Northern regions, continue to damage the local ecosystem of Pakistan. This study aims
to analyse how the novel incorporates a concerned critical discourse about environment
crises with in its narrations.
The dynamics of ‘voice’ in the narration of the novel, is looked through the lens of
Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of ‘polyphony’ (1963), in which he explains the existence of
multiple voices in novel, altogether connected to a single meaning or objective. Secondly the
‘ecofeminist’ strand in this study is looked through concepts of unity between women and
nature presented by Vandana Shiva in her work, Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and
Development (1988) and Ecofeminism (1993) which is a combine work of Shiva with Maria
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Mies. Shiva along with Maria, explain the interconnectedness of women with nature, in the
context of reproduction, nurture, salvage, providing protection, and most importantly being
victims of patriarchal hegemony. Moreover, this study has drawn support from Nomadic
Theory (2011) of Rosi Braidotti and comment on the hegemonic discourse of postcolonial
world order and its continuing control on the colonized world is looked through, Can the
Subaltern Speak (1988) by Gayatri Spivak.

She knew every colour and curve of this valley

(Khan, 2014, p 5)
Introduction
Thinner Than Skin, by Uzma Aslam Khan offers a nuanced and multifaceted
portrayal of feminist resistance and resilience which is articulated through voices as the
primary means for the manifestation of feminine agency. The narrations of the novel carry
different nomadic perspectives or voices, and each present a different view of being a nomad
for the audience. Mainly, in the novel, the foregrounding of the nomadic ecofeminist
perspective is through two narrations, one is the unknown omniscient narrator, the second
is of Nadir; both enunciate diversity of other feminine voices. Khan has tried to present a
holistic approach to feminism by presenting feminine worldviews about nature and
environment from both western, which is voiced through Farhana, articulated through
Nadir and the eastern perspectives of Maryam which is voiced through the unknown
narrator with no obvious gender; all these acknowledge the interconnectedness of feminism,
environment, and culture.

Background: Post 9/11 world order and the developmental projects of China

Thinner Than Skin is categorised as eco-fiction as it eloquently covers the

environmental issues in Pakistan specially as the consequence of the post 9/11 world order.
Therefore, it is important to have a brief overview of the causes which are discussed in the
novel as they are presented with a difference in perspectives through the difference voices in
the novel.
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The neo-colonial, post 9/11 world order is one of the essential background images
which are unavoidable in the novel. After the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon the United States and its allies launched a military
campaign in the region of Afghanistan, through the military bases provided by Pakistan.
Overall, the War on Terror had negative environmental consequences in Afghanistan and
Pakistan, impacting ecosystems, natural resources, and the health and well-being of local
communities. Addressing and mitigating these environmental impacts is essential for
sustainable reconstruction and development in the post-conflict regions, and which is quite
eloquently discussed in Thinner Than Skin. (Khan, 2012, p. 224).
Moreover the developmental projects which China has started in the northern
regions of Pakistan have also caused colossal damage to the ecosystem and the lifestyle of
the nomads. The construction of roads, occupation of land, encroachments of the grazing
fields of cattles, have overall affected the natural system growth and sustainence (Khan,
2012, p. 234).

Nomadic Ecofeminist Voice in Thinner Than Skin

Vandana Shiva's theory of Staying Alive (1988) is a framework that emphasizes the
interconnectedness of ecological sustainability, social justice, and cultural diversity. Shiva,
an Indian scholar, environmental activist, and ecofeminist, argues that the survival and
well-being of all life forms on Earth are interconnected and dependent on maintaining a
harmonious relationship with nature. (Shiva, 1988, p. 41)
Shiva advocates for recognizing and respecting the inherent value of ecosystems and
nature's diversity. She emphasizes the importance of traditional ecological knowledge and
practices that have sustained communities for generations, promoting a more sustainable
and regenerative approach to agriculture, resource management, and conservation.
Shiva highlights the critical role of biodiversity in maintaining the health and resilience
of ecosystems and ensuring food security for communities. She criticizes industrial
agriculture and monoculture practices that deplete biodiversity and harm the environment,
advocating for the protection of indigenous seeds, crops, and species diversity. Shiva's
theory is the recognition of the interconnectedness between ecological sustainability and
social justice. She argues that environmental degradation, resource exploitation, and social
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inequities are interconnected issues that disproportionately affect marginalized

communities, especially women and indigenous peoples. (Shiva, 1988, p 66)
Shiva emphasizes the importance of preserving cultural traditions, knowledge systems,
and ways of life that are attuned to nature and promote sustainable living. She argues that
recognizing and supporting diverse cultural practices and worldviews is essential for
building resilience and fostering a sense of connection to the Earth.

Nomadic Theory:
As Ghafoor says in the novel that nomads ‘live free’ (Khan, 2012, p. 191). To link
the type of nomadic life I have observed in Thinner Than Skin it is essential to define it
through a lens. Nomadic Theory (2011), as developed by Rosi Braidotti, is a theoretical
framework that challenges traditional conceptions of identity, subjectivity, and power by
emphasizing fluidity, mobility, and multiplicity. Braidotto argues that identities are not
fixed but are constantly in flux, shaped by interactions with the environment, history,
culture, and power structures. This fluidity allows for the exploration of multiple,
overlapping, and contradictory identities that resist categorization and celebrate diversity.
This involves a constant negotiation between the self and the world.
The nomadic lives and love of the nomads in the novel Thinner Than Skin (2012), are
ancient like glaciers, they are fluid, they can change their forms, they are flexible. They are
organic like nature, and elevated in spirit like the mountains. Just like Maryam, whom
Nadir compares to be as tall as a mountain, (Khan, 2012, p. 114).

Ecofeminist Nomadic Voices in Thinner Than Skin:

Maryam:
The novel opens with a prelude, in which we notice Maryam surrounded by the
beauty of the mountains, she romanticizes with Nanga Parbat, and recalls memories of her
nomadic childhood along with her mother. She recalls her mother more often, she prays for
her mother regularly and even the daily chores remind her of how beautiful her childhood
was in presence of her mother. It was the beauty of nature and also the love she shared with
her daughter Kiran, which reminded her of the bond; we can observe layers of feminist
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voices within Maryam, which is sign of her deep-rooted feminist voice. She spoke for her
mother, daughter and also for her own self. (Khan, 2012, p. 77, 91, 126, 127, 129).
The cave, which is like a shrine for Maryam, to pray and contemplate when she is
distressed or when she needs to find a signal from Ghafoor, her ex-lover—she calls this cave
a ‘womb’, a place which is safe and comforting for her, and which provides solace to her
griefs (Khan, 2012, p. 130). When Khan has to expose the hegemonies which the land of
mountains and its natives had to face, she used the third person, unknown voice, but she has
to focus on the sufferings of the marginalized she either narrated the experiences of
Ghafoor, but he was more like a traveller and trader, we do not find him suffer, so it is
mostly Maryam and her family who undergo series of misfortunes and mishaps. Their cattle
die and even become extinct due to intervention of Government policies of life-stock, they
have to forcefully settle, against their plan and will, just because their cattle could not graze
the wild pastures, as they were encroached by the Government, and they were often fined to
pay a heavy amount or their produced items if their cattle violated. Most of these are
depicted through Maryam and her experiences. And worst of all, she loses her precious
daughter Kiran, who drowns in the lake, when she had to forcefully accompany Farhana on
the boat ride. We hear only Maryam condemning her husband for allowing a tourist to take
Kiran along, and also reprimanded Suleiman (her husband) in strong tone. We also see
Maryam telling us how their lands are now filled with barbed wires and their lives have
become limited. It is through Maryam we come to know that most of the butterflies and
their species have now vanished, which she used to enjoy in her childhood. She is a voice
for her cattle who want to graze in the land that was theirs, but not it is fenced, she speaks of
the sheep and horses who are losing their breed. Furthermore, Maryam also exposes the
ruthless attitude of the armed forces—the men in boots who barge into the huts of the
natives harass them, and also physically abuse them (Khan, 2012, p 215). Overall,
Maryam’s agentic voice speaks for the marginalised in the novel and through her Khan has
exposed hegemonic discourse more explicitly. Her voiced voice speaks for all kinds of
subalterns of her land.

Farhana:
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Farhana is as a free-spirited and independent woman who has a deep interest for
adventure and exploration. She is a girl with half Pakistani-German lineage, and she is a US
citizen. She is obsessed with the glaciers in Pakistan, and it is on her request that Nadir,
along with Wes (another friend of Farhana) plan to visit, the Northern areas of Pakistan. As
Nadir, says that she always wanted him to ‘take her back’. Her journey serves as a lens
through which readers can explore her self-discovery, her personal desire to know her roots
and also the intricate interplay between Nadir and herself, we witness her character to be
secondary and not so agentic as Maryam’s. She hardly has any direct representation of
herself, we know and experience her agency thoroughly through Nadir. However, a call or
concern for nature and environment can be observed in her character, but this concern is
more for her personal quest and not for the egalitarian objective to speak for the
marginalisation or the damage caused in the northern region of Pakistan due to war on
terror and capitalistic development. Rather she behaves as a western gaze who looks at the
nomad and the natives as instruments of her pleasure—it was on her call, that Kiran lost her
life, as Farhana forced Kiran to accompany her on the boat ride. Farhana faces a tragic end
in the novel, that may symbolize her weak voice being silenced through terrorism, which
she and her friend Wes dreaded.

Nadir:
Considering Nadir, as a semi nomad who had left his country Pakistan to live in the
US to make a career as a photographer, but his job requires him to capture images of
poverty and deprivation in Pakistasn as evidence of being a struggling economy. But he
remains a voice for Farhana. When he mentions Farhana’s love for the glaciers quite
exotically (Khan, 2012, p. opening chapter). The feminist voice in Nadir, could also be
observed when he mentions about his sister, and compares her character with Farhana.
After the death of Kiran (Khan, 2012, p. 116-8) Nadir’s voice was more of an
echoing of Maryam’s condemnation and Kiran’s tragic death. He continues to express guilt
and also blames Farhana for being the cause of Kiran’s death. It is after the death of a minor
nomad that he manages to unfix his patriarchal gaze from Farhana as his girlfriend and
speaks more as a voice for the suffering of an innocent. He seem to have come out of his
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gender ideology (Shiva, 1988, p 47), and looks at the crises faced by the nomad more
empathetically.

Kiran:
‘Her gaze was one of resignation’ (Khan, 2012, p. 113); although Kiran hardly has a
voice, but her death and her quite submission to ride on the boat to accompany Farhana,
despite her fear of water, speaks volumes about the death of the benign, peaceful and
organic life of nomadic death in the Northern lands. What Vandana Shiva explains about
the intrusion of the capitalist’s world in the lands and lives of decolonised countries, through
their hegemonic narratives which they sell in the name of food and lifestyle, such intrusions
are causing deaths of our native, indigenous cultures—the local ecosystem that was
prevalent since centuries is fading away due to intrusions. Kiran’s death symbolizes such
damages which are now irreparable.

Theory of Polyphony by Mikhail Bakhtin

Bakhtin's theory of polyphony expands on his concept of dialogic communication by

emphasizing the idea of multiple voices and perspectives interacting within a text or
discourse. In polyphony, there is a plurality of voices, each with their own beliefs, values,
and viewpoints, coming together in a complex and dynamic conversation.
Polyphony challenges the idea of a single, authoritative voice or perspective dominating a
text or communication. Instead, it suggests that meaning emerges from the interplay and
collision of diverse voices, creating a rich and multilayered tapestry of competing
viewpoints.
Bakhtin argued that polyphony allows for a more democratic and inclusive approach
to communication, as it values and accommodates the diversity of voices and perspectives
within a given context. It also reflects the complexity of human experience, as individuals
are constantly navigating and negotiating the multiple voices and discourses that shape their
understanding of the world. Overall, Bakhtin's theory of polyphony emphasizes the
importance of embracing and celebrating the diversity of voices and perspectives present in
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communication, highlighting the dynamic and interactive nature of language and discourse.
It encourages a more nuanced and open approach to dialogue, recognizing the rich
complexity that emerges from the interplay of multiple voices within a given context
(Bakhtin, 1984).
I have referred to the article of Linda M. Park Fuller, who has also used Bakhtin’s
theory as lens to analyse the discourse in a literary work. However, in Thinner Than Skin,
Khan (2012), as explained above khan has expressed the environmental issues through
feminine voices.

Nomadic Polyphony in Thinner Than Skin

The first voice which appears is that of an omniscient narrator that opens the novel
and introduces Maryam, her daughter Kiran and their nomadic life which keeps switching
between the plains and the highlands of Kaghan Valley. This voice conducts the parallel
story of Maryam and other nomads in the novel. I find this voice to be ecofeminist or of the
author herself, because the intense, sensual explication of Maryam’s bonding with the
natural world around her, could most aptly be articulated through the shared experiences or
emotions of being a woman (Khan, 2012, p. 4).
The omniscient or the all-knowing voice of narration that also speaks for Maryam
serves dual purpose it also speaks for Maryam when she speaks for herself and her suffering.
It is a voice within the voice of the omniscient narration, which rarely becomes active but is
audible conspicuously with a separate agency, even if it is articulated in the reported form
through the omniscient version of narration—this voice is of Maryam. Her voice may seem
to be subdued and not as active and direct as of Nadir, yet it possessed the powerful energy
to dictate the entire structure of the novel. When the narration is switched to Maryam the
voice introduces the chapter ‘Queen of the Mountains: Pagan Rituals’ (Khan, 2012, p. 77)—the
Queen of the Mountains is actually referred to ‘Malika e Parbat’ the mountain peak at the
foot of the famous Lake Saif ul Malook near Kaghan Valley, but in the novel the chapter
alludes to the powerful agency of Maryam which rules the narrative henceforth. Polyphony
in Maryam is nomadic like her, its omniscient, innate and also historic. She can speak for
different time zones, for her childhood, for her lover, and for most significantly for her
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animals and mountains (Khan, 2012, p. 5). And her prayers too are reserved for the goddess
she asks for help (Khan, 2012, p. 90).
This voice is switched when the nomadic world of Maryam is described. The
narrations weaves in the beautiful, peaceful, personal world of nomad which is filled with
romance, love for music, and their organic bonding with the nature and its characters. We
are introduced to Maryam with her romance with Nange Parbat, as a queen of the pastures
of Kaghan she allows the mountains seduce her (Khan, 2012, p.4). She recalls and
fanaticises her life among the animals and pastures of the lake Saif ul Malook, and her
imaginations linked with the Jinns and fairies, present an exotic version of her gaze towards
the nature and the legends associated with the highlands (Khan, 2012, p. 72). The voice
sounds monotoned till it is describing Maryam as a third person, but when this voice
renders agency to Maryam it becomes more vocal, at a few moments the text requires an
urgency to be expressed in direct speak. As Bakhtin explains this to be layering within the
texts, which allows the audience to experience diversity of perspectives (Park‐Fuller, 1986).
After the tragic death of her daughter Kiran, Maryam emerges with an extreme agency,
even with in the third person’s narration, she is audible with a force. Her free and organic,
nomadic voice is strong enough to call her husband ‘silent man’, for not being able to
protect his daughter from becoming a tool of enjoyment of the tourists (Khan, 2012, p130).
When the narrative has to expose the marginalization and the subjugation of the
nomads in the hands of the government, armed forces, and the foreigners. Maryam and
Ghafoor appear as agentic voices, but Maryam is the one who is more marginalised. She is
the one who has lost her child, and later their temporary settlements and grazing of animals
in the lowlands are affected as the Government has occupied places near the lowlands and
they were not only pushed to be ‘more settled’ than moving like nomads. Due to all this
their breeds of animals had affected and also the ecosystem was damaged as for the
encroachments of the government the land and pastures had to suffer through massive
deforestation (Khan, 2012, p. 199, 201, 213, 219).
The destructions caused by the armed forces in the garb of fighting the terrorists
caused not only the environmental damage but also harmed the nomads in physical,
emotional and psychological way (Khan 2012, p. 217-223).
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The second voice is of Nadir, whom I consider as a nomad or a semi-nomad, as he

oscillates between the US and Pakistan to satisfy the demands of his girlfriend and his
employer. And also he opens his narration by saying, ‘She—all beautiful things are feminine
to me, I make no apolgies…’ (Khan, 2012, p.9) He is the only active narrator— he narrates
his story in the novel, but I find nuances of ecofeminism in his narration as his story mostly
revolves around Farhana, his half Pakistani-German girlfriend, and her dominating
obsession with the glaciers of Pakistan, and later his constant recalling of the tragic episode
of Kiran’s death which keeps haunting him, depict his narration to be dominated with the
feminine agency in the novel.
His voice carries polyphony for both the genders, and also for both the worlds. He
speaks for his feelings and notions and also conveys what Farhana has to say and feel.
(Khan, 2012, p. 13-25). He speaks in the novel about the life and perspectives of the western
world and then of his own country too. When the novel switches to his narration the
polyphony exceeds the boundaries of time and space and also of genders. His sudden
switching to stream of consciousness projects multiple experiences he goes through in one
single frame. His polyphony is muti-functional, because he also carried the burden to
express for Farhana in the novel. His voice switches from his version of looking at the world
to Farhana’s. In between the spaces he also has to speak for his friend Irfan and his sorrows
of losing his wife Zulekha.

Conclusion:
The loud and audible ecofeminist voices in Thinner Than Skin, portrays the
environmental crises through a narrative beyond all kinds of borders and boundaries. With
the technique of polyphonic narrative structure, a rich and nuanced exploration of nature,
identity, relationships, and interconnectedness, is created and with characters from the
western world and also from Pakistan. The polyphonic narration which has successfully
voiced the silent or hidden environmental issues from the media coverage, are exposed. The
neocolonial and capitalistic agenda in the garb of war on terrorism and in the name of
development, the invasion and intrusion plan in to the organic ecosystem of the indigenous
lifestyle of the northern areas is also thoroughly exposed. Through the diverse ecofeminist
voices, which are presented with an equal representation of all genders and ethnicity, the
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novel scaffolds intersecting perspectives, with layered narratives of beliefs and notions
which may differ, like that of Farhana and Maryam, Irfan and Nadir, Ghafoor and
Suleiman but they provide the novel with the intricacies and complexities of human
experiences, and the interplay between all the individuals, their experiences and
environments, create an interconnectedness of all beings for a single cause.
The voices speak from within the marginalised and also speak from the gaze of the
colonial powers. As Spival (1988) asked the subalterns to speak, the voices from within the
marginalised need to be audible. And this what Shiva implores. She beseeches her
community to take charge of their lands and do not let the hegemonic powers rule or control
their life style. In Thinner Than Skin (2012), Uzma Aslam Khan, has raised important
questions about power, representation, and agency in relation to the subaltern, highlighting
the complexities of speaking from within marginalized positions and calling for a re-
evaluation of dominant discourses in order to create more inclusive and equitable spaces for
all voices to be heard and respected. Most importantly she has pointed finger at the rising
hegemonic tendencies from within, which are causing more damage by becoming hired
guns of the colonial powers. There is a homogenic call for environmental justice, invoking
the internal powers of the country through exposing them to the neo-colonial, capitalistic
agenda, which is causing irreversible damage for global south for the future generations.

The highlands belong to those who had been coming here for so many summers only
they knew how the Queen and the Nude behaved when no one was watching.
(Khan, 2014, p, 5

Bibliography

1. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics. Edited by Caryl

Emerson, University of Minnesota Press, 1984.
2. Braidotti, Rosi. Nomadic Theory. Columbia University Press, 2011.
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3. Hafeez, Shakil, et al. "Post 9/11 War on Terror: A Study of Dynamics of

Neocolonialism in Aslam’s Thinner Than Skin." Annals of Human and
Social Sciences, 2014, pp. 210-215.
4. Khan, Uzma Aslam. Thinner Than Skin. ILQA Publications, 2012.
5. Park-Fuller, Linda M. "Voices: Bakhtin's Heteroglossia and Polyphony,
and the Performance of Narrative Literature." Literature in Performance,
vol. 7, no. 1, 1986, pp. 1-12.
6. Shiva, Vandana. Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development.
Indraprastha Press, 1988.
7. Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. "Can the Subaltern Speak?" 1988.