Abstract
The relevance of undertaking a historiographic analysis in the context of historically disputed territory of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) cannot be denied in the wake of revocation of Article 370 and 35A by India on August 5, 2019. This arbitrary decision has opened a recurring dimension of the dispute, which needs to be addressed in a wider perspective. This paper, therefore, calls for environmental justice or eco–postcolonial ethic for IOJ&K —- a perspective, which is important by virtue of its definition only. Eco–postcolonial ethic, defined as a standpoint that brings forth the need to understand the expression of resistance against the oppression of colonizing powers in this postcolonial age, can be one possible way of determining a future course of action vis–a–vis Kashmir dispute. While the context of studying Kashmir in an Indian Pakistani conflict holds its own importance, shifting some frames of reference that incorporate the eco–postcolonial ethic of Kashmir, this paper examines the dispute from the perspective of ‘deceptions‘1 or interpellations in the context of Kashmir's history. This historiographic study of some old as well as contemporary texts, besides providing a basic understanding of Kashmir's background and the recurring pattern of its strategic political moves, also helps us belie all the fabricated rhetoric and propaganda that has been lobbied for three quarters of a century.
Highlights
Eco-postcolonial ethic, defined as a standpoint that brings forth the need to understand the expression of resistance against the oppression of colonizing powers in this postcolonial age, can be one possible way of determining a future course of action vis-a-vis Kashmir dispute
While the context of studying Kashmir in an Indian Pakistani conflict holds its own importance, shifting some frames of reference that incorporate the eco-postcolonial ethic of Kashmir, this paper examines the dispute from the perspective of ‘deceptions’[1] or interpellations in the context of Kashmir’s history
In order to study whether there may be any justification in various narratives on Kashmir dispute of resistance against oppression, and to trace some recurring patterns of ‘deceptions’ in the history of this region of strategic importance called ‘South Asia’s Palestine,’ 4 this paper primarily examines the facts stated in three historical texts by Alastair Lamb, a renowned British historian, as primary sources: Crisis in Kashmir: 1947-1966 (1966), Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy, 1846-1990 (1991), and Incomplete Partition: The Genesis of the Kashmir Dispute 1947-1948 (1997)
Summary
The heady, rebellious Kashmir I left as a teenager was a land of brutalized, exhausted and uncertain people...The Conflict might leave the streets, but it will not leave the soul.[2]. Many modern Kashmiri writers like Basharat Peer (as quoted above) offer an interruption to the continued vilification, rejection, and exclusion of voices raised for describing the plight of Kashmiris This expression of resistance against the oppressors has surfaced in many contemporary writings vis-a-vis Kashmir, though, Kashmiris have been subjected to persecution since the partition of the Indo-Pak SubContinent in 1947 and even before it. In the wake of the ‘unconstitutional’[6] act of August 5, 2019, this research paper studies four recurring aspects of Kashmir dispute These patterns need to be studied in order to explore any future options for IOJ&K. The study and analysis of the recurring patterns of Indian State’s deceptions and interpellations that continue to this day will enable us to question them This would lead to articulating the environmental ethic of Kashmir where war crimes are being perpetrated. Colonial power, the need for environmental justice for Kashmir, and ecopostcolonial future of Kashmir as a way out of this stalemate
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
