When Fahimullah, a young MPhil student at the Faculty of Arts, University of the Punjab, began searching for a research topic, he expected to find guidance toward something meaningful — an issue that reflected the real challenges Pakistan’s society faces today. But instead, he found himself stuck in a cycle familiar to many postgraduate students: a list of topics so overused and disconnected from reality that even the titles seemed relics of the past.
“I regret that whatever research is carried out in social sciences at our universities has no link with society’s issues,” he says, frustration evident in his voice. “Only old and repeated topics are allocated to MPhil and PhD students. Research on such topics doesn’t help identify social problems or provide any solutions for the development of society.”
Fahimullah’s complaint is neither rare nor exaggerated. Across Pakistan’s universities, many students in the social sciences share a deep sense of disillusionment. Their research — intended to analyse, explain, and solve human and social problems — often ends up gathering dust in library shelves, read only by examiners, forgotten soon after the degree is awarded.
In conversations with students and faculty, the same picture emerges: research topics are repeated, methodologies outdated, and the findings rarely find their way into public debate, policymaking, or community practice. “It’s as if we are producing research just to fulfil degree requirements,” says another MPhil student from the sociology department. “We are not trained to ask new questions, only to find data to support old ones.”
Social scientists argue that this disconnect between academia and society has widened over the years. Dr Rubina Saigol, a prominent Lahore-based educationist and researcher, has long criticised the stagnant nature of social science research in Pakistan. “Students do not even know the theoretical framework in which to situate their arguments,” she observed in an earlier interview. “They are unaware of research methodologies beyond basic surveys, which do not provide the depth needed to study social realities.”
The problem, according to academics, stems from the system itself. Supervisors, often burdened with administrative and teaching loads, encourage “safe” topics that can be completed quickly, avoiding controversial or field-intensive work. Funding for social research is minimal, and university libraries are often devoid of up-to-date journals or access to global databases. As a result, the same studies — on teacher motivation, gender roles, or media influence — are repeated year after year with only minor variations.
“In many universities, a master’s or MPhil thesis is treated as a formality,” says Dr Nadeem Ahmad, a Lahore-based sociologist. “There’s no institutional incentive to innovate. The research may have references to society, but not roots in it.”
The consequences of this academic inertia go far beyond the classroom. When social sciences fail to produce knowledge that connects to real issues — poverty, governance, migration, urbanisation, or social justice — the policymaking process loses one of its most vital supports. “Without socially grounded research, governments and institutions operate in the dark,” notes Dr Ahmad. “Decisions are made without evidence. That’s why we see policies that sound ambitious on paper but fail in practice.”
This crisis is not entirely new. For decades, Pakistan’s social sciences have struggled to define their identity. Following the country’s independence, most disciplines borrowed heavily from Western theories and frameworks without adapting them to local realities. Even today, much of the research remains derivative — applying imported models to contexts they were never designed for.
“There’s a lack of intellectual courage,” says Dr Saigol. “We rarely produce new theories rooted in our experience. Our research often reads like summaries of Western authors, with a few Pakistani examples inserted.”
The funding disparity between natural sciences and social sciences deepens the divide. While research grants and laboratories in engineering, medicine, or technology attract both government and private support, the humanities and social sciences remain underfunded. According to Dr Saigol, “Fewer financial resources for research are provided to departments of social sciences and humanities at public-sector universities. Fewer resources inevitably lead to fewer facilities — and that affects quality.”
Yet, despite the bleak picture, a new generation of students like Fahimullah hopes for change. Some have begun to question why their research is not making an impact, why their findings never reach policymakers, and why the university remains so detached from the communities it is supposed to serve. “If our work doesn’t help people understand and solve real problems, then what’s the point?” Fahimullah asks quietly.
Social scientists propose several steps to reverse the decline. They call for overhauling outdated curricula, introducing stronger training in research methodology, and building institutional bridges between universities and government departments. “We need research that’s actionable, that identifies solutions to social challenges,” says Dr Ahmad. “Students should be encouraged to investigate local problems, even if they’re complex or politically sensitive. That’s how social sciences contribute to progress.”
Some universities have already begun modest reforms — revising thesis guidelines, encouraging field-based projects, and inviting practitioners from civil society and government to collaborate. But without consistent policy support and funding, such efforts remain scattered.
For Fahimullah, the dream is simple but profound: to see social science research that matters — research that informs, influences, and inspires. “I want my thesis to be something more than a file on a shelf,” he says. “It should reflect the society I live in, its struggles, and its hopes.”
His words resonate with a quiet truth: a nation that neglects its social sciences also neglects its ability to understand itself. Until that changes, the gap between university and society will remain — wide, silent, and deeply consequential.