Women between ethnicity and nationalism - Kashmir Reader (original) (raw)
Related papers
Imaginations of Self and Nation; Women in the Kashmiri Armed Struggle
This paper aims to interpret construction of the self and struggles of nationhood of some Muslim women in Kashmir's resistance movement against Indian control , focusing on the phase of the armed struggle in the 1980s. It argues that they have been continually refashioning their notions of self and notions of just and free political community, and have cast themselves in religious -cultural terms to suit the needs of the movement. Muslim women with an active role in the armed struggle underwent a process of self-constitution in the processes of engagement with their immediate social and political context. There are women with a Muslim identity, who may or may not be practising Muslims when they intervene in political action. Yet, they were invariably cast in religious -cultural terms, forgetting that they have challenged both the Indian state and its patriarchy of militarism, alongside that within their own community.
Knowing in Our Own Ways: Women and Kashmir
Economic & Political Weekly (EPW), Review of Women's Studies (RWS) Special Issue on Women and Kashmir. Edited by Nitasha Kaul and Ather Zia, 2018
'What serious scholar of Kashmir could deny the simultaneous existence of human rights abuses and a political problem that needs a political resolution which must involve the Kashmiris themselves? Yet, even something as basic as this is hard to find being reflected in the Indian mainstream media, through which most Indians form their opinions on Kashmir. We urge the readers of this review issue to move beyond the comfort zone of merely acknowledging the vulnerabilities of the marginalised Kashmiris, by equalising the illicitness of the military and the militants, by thinking past the self-serv- ing machinations of the Indian power brokers at the centre and Kashmiri mainstream politicians at the periphery, and by asking the difficult question: How long must ordinary Kashmiris suffer their traumatic history as endless memory before their calls for freedom and justice are taken seriously enough to warrant a political resolution? The Kashmiri women herein speak of myriad things: of spectacles and street protests; women’s companionships and female alliances; women’s movements and imaginaries of resistance; the links between militarisation, militarism, and the creation of impunity by the law; competing patriarchies and sexual violence as they seek to break Kashmiri communities; the infrastructures of control that limit their mobilities, bodies, and experiences; public grief at funerals as a challenge to Indian sovereignty over Kashmir; and autobiographies, oral histories, and the textures of political memories. In the powerful idiom of postcolonial criticality, the ques- tion we should ask is not “Can the Kashmiri women speak?” but rather “Can you hear them?”' [We would like to thank the guest editors Nitasha Kaul and Ather Zia, and the members of the editorial advisory group of the Review of Women's Studies Mary E John, J Devika, Kalpana Kannabiran, Samita Sen, and Padmini Swaminathan for putting together this issue on " Women and Kashmir."]
History Workshop Journal, 2022
Towards the close of 1947, amid increasing turbulence and conflict in Kashmir, women activists established their own militia and were trained to use rifles – a rare initiative in South Asia even amid the turmoil of Partition and independence. The women were aligned with radical Kashmiri nationalism. Their militia was a self-defence force as well as a demonstration of support for Indian rule in Kashmir and for a democratic dispensation to replace the autocratic maharaja. Although the militia was short-lived and never saw active service, the sight of women drilling in the Kashmiri capital with rifles on their shoulders was a powerful demonstration of a change of regime. The testimony of former members of the women's militia emphasizes the sense of empowerment they gained – though the subsequent trajectory of the unresolved Kashmir conflict has clouded over this episode of women's political activism.
Women under Militarism: Looking the World From Kashmir
Why women are in such condition in a militarised zone? What makes them inferior? How does it differ from women's condition of a 'peaceful', non-militarised place? This paper argues that, it is Militarism, which puts women in such condition. The first segment of the paper explains what militarism is? Under this question it brings the theoretical debates regarding militarism and masculinity. And then, that debate has been contextualised in Kashmir. Secondly, the discussion goes from place to place; gets an account of women's condition where militarism prevails or was prevailing. It enlists the major crises that women face under militarism. Along with that, it takes some facts from Kashmir which is one of the most militarised zones of the world: Militarism is an ideology while militarisation is a process. Based on this understanding, this paper explains, in a militarised zone, how militarism penetrates the day to day life of the people. Simultaneously, the facts have been generalised in the world. The role of religion in shaping militarism has been explained from grounded examples of Kashmir. The study has also examined the most painful and enduring sufferings of women's lives under militarism which begins at war time but lasts for indefinite periods even in peace time under the heading of social cost.
Feminine Oppression: A Study of the Conflict in Kashmir
International Journal of Indian Psychology, 2015
Kashmir predicament is not merely the problem of men but women are more pretentious as compared to men. The Kashmir crisis started after the British withdrew from the Indian subcontinent in 1947, but real chaos started from 1989 onwards. This paper will analyze the varied atrocities and assorted extent of violence committed against women from 1989 to 2011. Violence against women (VAW) was not acknowledged as a human rights violation by the domestic and international community for a number of years. It was first addressed at the United Nations Nairobi conference in 1985. Women have been subjugated in Kashmir from last two decades by Security forces. Hundreds of victims were raped, tortured and murdered in reprisal attacks. Violence against women in valley exists in various forms. They are often beaten, mutilated, burned, sexually abused and raped. Such violence is a major obstacle in achieving peace and harmony in the state.
Women and Conflict Situation in Kashmir Post 1989: A Sociological Study of District Anantnag
The armed conflict in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has touched the lives of all the people living in the valley in some way or other. Though, many women have become direct as well as indirect victims of this conflict. This paper is a sociological account of the experience of the women who became victims to this conflict going on in the valley from last two and half decades. Drawing upon personal account of these women it focuses on their experience of loss, the ostracism and stigma faced by them. The researchers utilizes the research tools of in-depth interview to understand and highlight the multiple experiences of deprivation and loss faced by these women.
Demystifying Women’s Role in the Resistance Politics of Kashmir
Essay, 2021
Women are frequently stereotyped in histories of armed conflict; an emphasis on their vulnerability gives them visibility mainly as the victims of violence, and does not acknowledge their agency. Though the victimization of women is a reality in any conflict, the one-sided emphasis on this portrays women in a severely limited way. This is true in the case of literature regarding the conflict in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir; women have repeatedly been represented as victims of conflict, but seldom recognized as political agents. As a result, women’s agency in the resistance politics of Kashmir has been historically overlooked by the majority of scholarship on the conflict as well as by the parties to the conflict. By contrast, the three books under review here provide a refreshing and even-handed assessment of Kashmiri women’s multifaceted roles in resistance politics, collectively arguing that women in Kashmir have not been merely accidental victims of violence, but have historically resisted the Indian occupation in a range of different ways. It is precisely in this respect that the books are a valuable addition to the existing literature on the history of conflict in this region, as together they show both the depth and breadth of women’s contributions to the cause of azadi (the demand for the right to self-determination).
Women and Kashmir: Special Issue EPW/RWS
Economic & Political Weekly (RWS), 2018
We would like to thank the guest editors Nitasha Kaul and Ather Zia, and the members of the editorial advisory group of the Review of Women's Studies Mary E John, J Devika, Kalpana Kannabiran, Samita Sen, and Padmini Swaminathan for putting together this issue on " Women and Kashmir. A new addition to critical Kashmir studies resources: ‘Women and Kashmir: Knowing in Our Own Ways, ‘ published in Review of Women’s Studies, Economic and Political Weekly. An all Kashmiri women-scholars team: Nitasha Kaul and Ather Zia as guest co-editors, authors include Mona Bhan, Hafsa Kanjwal , Inshah Malik, Mir Fatimah Kanth, Samreen Mushtaq, Uzma Falak, Essar Batool and Aaliya Anjum.
Kashmiri Women- Concerns, Milestones & Solutions
For the last 16 years Kashmir has been embroiled in a fulminating manifestation of a turmoil that has been simmering since 1947. The issue is protracted and violent, which has taken a massive toll on human lives. Women amidst the mayhem have been equal recipients in the suffering. While on one hand women have become more visible in a deeply patriarchal society, on the other, they have rarely been the pivot of a sustained and constructive documentation and discussion in media or academia. There have been disparate attempts towards studying the multidimensional issues of victim hood and empowerment, forced and catalyzed by the prevailing circumstances; however the overall picture of their emergence has been elusive. It is important to make efforts towards garnering a consolidated view about the emergence of Kashmiri women, their unique history, and the travails and tribulations faced by the them and the resilience with which they not only sustain but also improve their lot. It is also important that the situation of women in Kashmir should not be presented in a vacuum, but needs to be viewed in context of the dismal political violence that engulfs the valley. The shaping of the lives of Kashmiri women, for good or bad, is deeply rooted with Kashmir polity and is a reflection of the society at large.