Our National Character

UNIVERSITY of peshawar ma pakistan sTudies
COURSE NO 502: NATIONAL CHARACTER OF PAKISTAN (2006-7)
Abdul Rauf
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
COURSE DESCRIPTION: THERE ARE MANY FACETS OF CHARACTER. THE EMPHASIS IN THIS COURSE WILL BE ON THE IDEA THAT CERTAIN CONCEPTS OF IDEALS AND TRADITIONS ARE LIKELY TO GIVE RISE TO PARTICULAR BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO HOLD IT. THE ISLAMIC CONCEPTS AND TRADITIONS AND THE WESTERN CONCEPTS AND WESTERN IMPERIAL ADVANCEMENT IN THE SUB-CONTINENT INFLUENCED PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL CHARACTER. THE CHARACTER BASED ON ISLAMIC CONCEPTS IS THE EXPECTED CHARACTER WHILE THE ACTUAL CHARACTER OF PAKISTANIS IS GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE CHANGES BROUGHT BY THE BRITISH IN POLITICS, LAW, ECONOMY AND EDUCATION OF PEOPLE IN THE 19TH AND IN THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. THE EMPHASIS IN THIS COURSE IS AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATIONAL CHARACTER OF PAKISTAN IN LIGHT OF THESE TWO CONCEPTS AND TRADITIONS. A separate topic of Pakistan Study, as a Discipline is included to provide information regarding Pakistan Studies, its scope, method and problems.

course OUTLINE:
PART – I INTRODUCTION • National Character • History and Development • Significance of the Subject • Types of the study of National Character • Study of another Nation • Study of ones own Nation • Approaches to the study of National Character

PART – II problems in the study of national character: 1. Generalisation in characteristics ignores specific and uniqueness: 2. Explanation always involves reference to generalisation: 3. Generalisation about human beings is not possible 4. Variability within national groups 5. Possible forms of Group Differences: Complete Differences and Partial Differences 6. Characteristics are always changing 7. National characteristics as innate and racial 8. The ethnocentrism of evolution
PART – Iii Characteristics or Trait-Adjectives of Pakistanis

part