Speaking from the margins: a case of ‘truth-telling’ spaces for the women educational leaders in Pakistan
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(Published version)
Date
2025
Authors
Adnan, S.
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Journal article
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Journal of Educational Administration & History, 2025; 57(4):482-501
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Saadia Adnan
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Abstract
Pakistan ranks second worst on the Global Gender Gap Index 2024, reflecting entrenched patriarchal structures that extend into women’s professional environments. This paper examines how women leaders navigate marginalisation within hegemonic power dynamics. It demonstrates that silenced and subordinated women leaders operate within deeply embedded structures that privilege male authority and constrain their agency. Focusing on women leaders who challenge these constraints through fearless truth-telling, this paper highlights their acts of resistance against systemic silencing and injustice through an innovative methodological intervention. Drawing on Foucauldian thought, it explores how truth-telling extends beyond formal leadership spaces into research interviews, destabilising dominant narratives and redefining leadership. By critiquing hegemonic normativity, these women leaders disrupt gendered hierarchies, refusing to accept (mis)representation of their leadership. Their defiance underscores the transformative power of voice, offering pathways for self-authoring and possibilising freedom in oppressive structures.
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Published online May 2026
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© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.