Hafsa Arain is a Muslim interfaith activist, creative nonfiction writer, and Ph.D. student at Boston University. her research is focused on activism, religion, and youth culture in urban Pakistan, focusing primarily on women’s activist movements. Looking both at shifting legal and cultural norms relating to marriage and women’s access to public space, her research addresses how emerging forms of feminist activism in Pakistan reflect its postcolonial class stratification and concentrates on changing gender norms and ideals.
Prior to beginning a PhD at Boston University, Hafsa worked in student services and chaplaincy at Claremont School of Theology in California, where she also received her MA in Islamic Studies and Religious Leadership in 2014. Her master’s thesis focused on the growing presence of multinational corporations in Karachi, Pakistan, and how they have affected young women’s job possibilities, attitudes towards dating, marriage, and religion, and educational aspirations in Pakistan’s largest city. Hafsa also holds a BA in English literature and religious studies from DePaul University in Chicago.