HASHTAG ACTIVISM AND GENDER: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF #AURATMARCH TWEETS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This qualitative study examines hashtag activism in Pakistan through a critical discourse analysis of tweets from the Aurat March from 2020 to 2025. Using Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of CDA, textual analysis, discursive practice, and social practice, the research investigates how feminist activists employ Twitter to construct resistance against patriarchal structures and articulate demands for justice. A dataset of twenty-five tweets from the official Aurat March accounts in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore was analysed. The findings reveal that hashtags such as #MeraJismMeriMarzi, #MarchTuHoga, #AsalInsaaf, and #AuratMarch function as discursive tools that mobilize collective identities, challenge dominant ideologies, and connect local struggles with broader transnational movements. Comparative analysis indicates that Karachi’s discourse emphasizes inclusivity and bodily autonomy, Islamabad highlights legal and political contestations, and Lahore anchors activism in charters of demands and solidarity with global causes. The study concludes that Aurat March Twitter discourse exemplifies Fairclough’s view of language as a social practice, demonstrating how digital feminist activism reconfigures power, ideology, and resistance in Pakistan.