The Parchment of Kashmir : History, Society, and Polity

In this volume, Kashmiri scholars of all disciplines undertake a new look at their homeland. Taking account of both mainstream ideologies and contrary discourses, the authors provide a set of visions for Kashmiri culture and society. The authors underline the repercussions of India's anti-democratic strategies, delineate the fundamental structural inequities in the Jammu & Kashmir polity, and analyze the effects of nationalist, militant and religious discourses and praxes on a gender-based social hierarchy. The book offers a panorama of key cultural concerns of Jammu & Kashmir today, from the military aspects of the Kashmir conflict to the modern-day revival of indigenous cultural institutions. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-9 Front Matter....Pages 11-11 Evolution of My Identity Vis-`-Vis Islam and Kashmir....Pages 13-36 Kashmiriyat: The Voice of the Past Misconstrued....Pages 37-68 Front Matter....Pages 69-69 Mystical Thought of Kashmir....Pages 71-85 Syncretic Tradition and the Creative Life: Some Kashmiri Mystic Poets....Pages 87-100 Front Matter....Pages 101-101 Democracy and Governance in Kashmir....Pages 103-124 Political Assertion of Kashmiri Identity....Pages 125-152 Kashmir in the Indian Project of Nationalism....Pages 153-176 Front Matter....Pages 177-177 Sociological Dimensions and Implications of the Kashmir Problem....Pages 179-210 Front Matter....Pages 211-211 Politics of Exclusion....Pages 213-227 Back Matter....Pages 229-262 "In this volume, Kashmiri scholars of all disciplines undertake a new look at their homeland and provide a set of visions for Kashmiri culture and society. The book offers a panorama of key cultural concerns of Jammu & Kashmir today, from the military aspects of the Kashmir conflict to the modern-day revival of indigenous cultural institutions, from the effects of religious discourse and gender-based social hierarchy to relations with India and Pakistan"--Provided by publisher A cross-disciplinary anthology on contemporary Kashmir by academics from Jammu and Kashmir, the first such volume to appear. The book offers a panorama of key cultural concerns of Jammu and Kashmir today, incorporating analysis of military, cultural, religious, and social aspects of the society and polity.