Introduction

The introductory chapter of the book explores the tradition of writings by Muslim women in South Asia and studies their contribution to the development of fiction in the region. It examines the evolution of genre fiction and also explores the possibilities of formation of new genres such as partition fiction and graphic novels. The chapter also seeks to examine the complex socio-political dynamics in South Asia that include the pain of colonial violence in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the post-partition uncertainties in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh that created significant diversity in the voices of Muslim women writers over a period of time. The first part of the chapter, titled ‘Muslim women in South Asia,’ investigates the images and representations of Muslim women in South Asia, and the second part, titled ‘Genre and genealogy in Muslim South Asia,’ engages itself with the socio-historical circumstances that led to the origin and development of ‘women’s novel’ and trace the genealogy of fiction written by Muslim women in South Asia.