The Life of a Kashmiri Woman Dialectic of Resistance and Accommodation [Hardcover]

Capturing the history of Kashmir and its cultural and social evolution, Nyla Ali Kahn deconstructs the life of her grandmother and other women of her generation to reconceptualize woman's identity in a politically militarized zone. An academic memoir, this book succinctly brings together the history, politics, and culture of Kashmir.Preface Foreword by Gopalkrishna Gandhi Introduction 1. Filiation and Affiliation 2. Lineage and Coming into her Own 3. Political and Social Activism 4. Perseverance in the Face of Political Persecution 5. Kashmir Conspiracy Case and World Opinion 6. Banishment and Trauma 7. Significance of Alliances and Shifting Balance of Power 8. Reminiscences of a Granddaughter of the Electoral Battle of 1977 9. Home and Hearth 10. End of an Era 11. I Witness that Faith is the Legacy of One's Upbringing 12. My Memories of Grandmother: Orator, Parliamentarian, Woman of the Soil 13. A House Divided Against Itself Conclusion

By bringing women to the centre of Kashmir's political discourse, Nyla Ali Khan has sought to question not merely the academic silence around the gender dimensions of Kashmir's politics but has also sought to challenge the dominant paternalistic notions about the relationship between women and politics. The book is an important contribution from a gender perspective since one does not get to hear the women's side of story in the much analysed history of Kashmir's politics. There seems to be a complete invisibility of woman. It is as if women did not exist or if they did, they did not play any role. If at all the women are portrayed, they are shown as the mute and passive spectators or as victims at the receiving end. What gets missing is their role as agents in their own rights. In her story of Akbar Jehan, Nyla looks for her agential role. 'Her foray into public realm was not due to circumstances beyond her control but was agential', she notes. That said, the book is a very important contribution to the literature l£+