This book analyses how anti-state or counterpublics have emerged across mediated and physical spaces to respond to the state-led narrative of Pakistani identity. It aims to trace the rise of counterpublic spheres and anti-establishment discourses across different arenas—Twitter, YouTube, and local coffee houses. These spaces, both individually and collectively, offer unprecedented affordances that challenge traditionally immutable subjects such as the use of blasphemy as a po

27 February 2026 09:30 to 17:30 Strand Campus, London   About: The Counter-Research Symposium is a one-day event organised by CRIMSON (Counter Research in Media Studies Organised Network), a new cross-institutional research network that centres research on marginalised, precarious, contentious, and often silenced communities. It supports media scholars and activists undertaking politically and emotionally complex work in challenging environments, including closed authoritaria