Shadow Pedagogies and Silent Knowledge: Information Sources on Menarche for Adolescent Girls in the Absence of Formal Education

Abstract

This article examines the informal knowledge networks through which adolescent girls in rural Dhirkot, Azad Kashmir, acquire information about menstruation in the complete absence of formal reproductive health education. Drawing on qualitative ethnographic research with 31 adolescent girls aged 11-16, the study reveals that in the absence of institutional schooling and structured curricula, girls rely on fragmented, myth-laden information transmitted through elder sisters, mothers, peers, community elders, and increasingly, digital media. These "shadow pedagogies" simultaneously fill critical knowledge gaps while perpetuating menstrual stigma and misinformation. The findings demonstrate how family silence, institutional avoidance, and cultural taboos create an epistemic vacuum where girls must navigate menarche through whispered conversations, euphemistic language, and coded expressions, ultimately reinforcing what scholars identify as both testimonial and hermeneutical injustice. The article argues for culturally sensitive, community-based menstrual health interventions that acknowledge the primacy of informal knowledge systems while challenging damaging myths and structural silences.

Keywords: Shadow Pedagogies, Silent Knowledge, Information Sources, Menarche for Adolescent, Formal Education