An Exploratory Study on Bonding and Bridging Social Capital Among the Non-Displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir, India

Abstract

In this exploratory study, we investigate two forms of social capital, bonding and bridging social capital among the non-displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir, India. In addition, we attempt to understand how displacement impinged the bonding and bridging social capital of non-displaced Kashmiri Pandits. The study uses a qualitative and ethnographic research design to elicit information from the participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 non-displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir, comprising 19 men and 11 women. The study concludes that the bonding social capital of non-displaced Kashmiri Pandits is plagued by a lack of interconnectedness caused by physical distance. In addition, the bridging social capital is restricted to a few Muslim neighbors and friends whom non-displaced Kashmiri Pandits have known for generations. The research findings suggest that if the bridging social capital of the non-displaced Kashmiri Pandit community is extended to the majority of the Kashmiri Muslim community, it will integrate both communities at large.