UW Journal of Social Sciences

Flash Floods 2022 in Pakistan: Mapping Responses and Challenges

Summar Iqbal Babar, Saher Liaqat — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The unprecedented flash floods of 2022 in Pakistan affected nearly 33 million people, cost over 1700 lives, and pushed another nine million into extreme poverty. The flash floods also severely damaged housing, livelihood, critical health, education, communication infrastructure, and other sectors of Pakistan’s economy. The destruction amid the 2022 flash floods has highlighted the need for a comprehensive climate security framework that addresses the complex and interrelated challenges posed by climate change. Such a framework requires a coordinated and sustained effort to address the underlying drivers of vulnerability and build resilience to climate-induced threats, thereby promoting the country’s long-term stability and security. This research paper critically appraises the 2022 flash floods in Pakistan by viewing them through climate security and human security paradigms. This study further identifies key institutional responses to the 2022 flash floods, assesses the damage and infrastructure needs, and attempts to critically analyze how securitizing climate change can mitigate future climate-induced risks. It also highlights the challenges in addressing floods’ immediate and long-term impacts and suggests that investing in infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and institutional capacity building is essential for building resilience against future climate change impacts.

The Impact of Radio on Peacebuilding and Countering Extremism in War Effect Area of Pakistan

Rahman Ullah — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The tribal areas of Pakistan have historically been plagued by conflict, extremism, and limited access to information and communication. Militants have historically used illegal FM radio stations to spread propaganda and extort funding, highlighting the need for legitimate radio stations to counter these efforts. The tribal belt faces numerous challenges, including a lack of infrastructure, as well as agricultural, educational, health, and shelter-related issues. Establishing new FM radio stations in these areas presents a unique opportunity to promote intercultural dialogue, challenge violent ideologies, and promote alternative narratives for peace. Approximately 70 percent of the population in tribal districts rely on radio as their primary source of news and entertainment. The new radio stations communicate state narratives, educate locals on the legal system and their rights as citizens, and address various social issues. This study is designed to determine the role of those radio stations in Peacebuilding and Countering Extremism in the affected Areas of Pakistan. The Scholar used qualitative methods to gather in-depth insights from stakeholders and measure the impact of FM radio stations. The data were collected by using in-depth interviews with the station managers (n=15), program producers, and presenters of the radio stations regarding the aim and objective of the radio stations and details of the radio programs broadcasted in the daily transmission. The participants were selected by using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data, i.e., interviews. The data is examined through the lens of the agenda-sitting Theory. It is concluded that there are differently designed radio programs about Health, education, women empowerment, agriculture, and development. There are also some special programs regarding social cohesion, Peacebuilding, and Countering Extremism in the affected Areas of Pakistan.

Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Job Performance of teachers at Higher Secondary School Level

Farah Gul, Shazia Zamir, Asghar Abbas — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study focuses on uncovering the relationship between job performance and emotional intelligence levels among higher secondary school teachers. A survey technique was employed to collect data, which remained solely descriptive. The education sector in Islamabad City operates 55 higher secondary schools employing 6200 teachers, including 3000 male instructors and 3200 female instructors. The model higher secondary schools of Islamabad provided 90 male and 115 female instructors through a stratified random-selection process. The study utilized Schutte’s assessment of emotional intelligence scale alongside Ching et al. ’s (2016) teacher job performance work satisfaction scale by Ching et al. (2016) which is organized into four and five categories. The research team performed statistical data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The mean was used to determine the results for descriptive analysis, while Pearson’s correlation provided the analysis of inference. The study found that teachers working at the higher secondary level displayed positive attitudes toward both job performance and emotional intelligence. The research led to a substantial positive relationship linking better job performance outcomes to emotional intelligence levels among secondary teaching staff. The installation of emotional intelligence skill improvement content into teacher training programs for aspiring and established teachers will result in better performance outcomes.

Keywords: Job performance, Emotional Intelligence, Relationship, higher secondary level.

How do Architects and Civil Engineers Conceptualize Space? A Cognitive Discourse Analysis of their Thought Patterns

Huma Batool, Sadia Arshad, Rabbia Noreen — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated how space and spatial parameters are conceptualized by civil engineers and architects. To achieve this objective, civil engineers and architects were given the task of planning/designing/describing a residential project using their professional software. Under the methodological framework of Cognitive Discourse Analysis (CODA) (Tenbrink, 2015), think aloud protocols were used to get an insight into the participant’s cognitive processes while performing the task. Their design descriptions were then followed by a set of retrospective questions. This linguistic data was then further examined in the light of Talmy’s parameters of space conceptualization. The findings revealed significant differences and similarities in the ways civil engineers and architects conceptualize space. In case of architects, space is an enclosure of planes but on the other side, it is an absence of rigid volumes. Rigid volumes can be bulky or dense forms but for architects’ space does not has to have calculated dimensions. Architects are more concerned with the 3-D structure of the spaces. Both however, conceptualize space by keeping users or client’s specific requirements – safety and privacy – in mind. Moreover, both are concerned about the materiality and haptics of the building too. Findings of this study may help us to understand that how different professions play an important role in shaping the spatial structures of individuals within the environment.

Contribution of FPDA to Deconstruct the Traditional Gender Roles and Practices

Ayesha Habib — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Feminist Post-structural Discourse Analysis (FPDA) is an evolutionary approach to study gender and language in practice. It is the outcome of the combination of discourse and post structuralism which has been designed for the power relations associated with gender. “Discourse is a conceived set of beliefs and understandings, reinforced through daily practices, which frame a particular understanding of the ways we are in the world” (Weedon, 2004). The study offers a valuable approach to challenge the fashionable and entrenched practices to bring positive change in the society. Moreover, it provides multiple ways for women to practice their power in a way that is acceptable in the society. As media plays a pivotal role in constructing and deconstructing the mind-set of the people of every age group, therefore a prominent and highly used platform of animated movie ‘Brave’ is utilized for the current study to present a qualitative analysis covering all the possible presented forums of discourse to portray a beautiful and different perspective of molding human mind and their practices which gives a break from a rising conflict between different genders. It proposed the idea of deconstructing the old school of thought and constructing a flexible ideology for both genders which provides more space of equal opportunities and role plays in the society.