Colonizing Kashmir: State-building under Indian Occupation

by Hafsa Kanjwal

The Indian government, touted as the world's largest democracy, often repeats that Jammu and Kashmir—its only Muslim-majority state—is "an integral part of India." The region, which is disputed between India and Pakistan, and is considered the world's most militarized zone, has been occupied by India for over seventy-five years. In this book, Hafsa Kanjwal interrogates how Kashmir was made "integral" to India through a study of the decade long rule (1953-1963) of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, the second Prime Minister of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Drawing upon a wide array of bureaucratic documents, propaganda materials, memoirs, literary sources, and oral interviews in English, Urdu, and Kashmiri, Kanjwal examines the intentions, tensions, and unintended consequences of Bakshi's state-building policies in the context of India's colonial occupation. She reveals how the Kashmir government tailored its policies to integrate Kashmir's Muslims while also showing how these policies were marked by inter-religious tension, corruption, and political repression.



Challenging the binaries of colonial and postcolonial, Kanjwal historicizes India's occupation of Kashmir through processes of emotional integration, development, normalization, and empowerment to highlight the new hierarchies of power and domination that emerged in the aftermath of decolonization. In doing so, she urges us to question triumphalist narratives of India's state-formation, as well as the sovereignty claims of the modern nation-state.

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction, Politics, Pakistan

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 25, 2023

Reviews

[giovi · Rating 5 out of 5]

the conclusion of this book is brilliant; wish it were a larger set of chapters on its own. wouldve loved more delving into kashmiri politics post abdullah and bakshi. however it summarizes these two eras incredibly well. so many interesting thoughts on the politics of life propaganda and normalization within settler colonialism

[Sania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a deeply researched account of how postcolonial India used development, democracy and modernity as tools to justify its control over Kashmir. Rather than focusing only on military occupation, Kanjwal shows how everyday governance, institutions and narratives were mobilized to manufacture consent and erase Kashmiri self determination. I feel like this should be an essential read for every Indian

[Andres Guzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“To put it simply: India's foundational moment cannot be viewed as separate from its colonial occupation of Kashmir.”

Colonialism is a sophisticated operation. It involves a colonial elite utilizing law, treaties and manipulating a comprador class to accept colonial occupation of its people.

It outlaws dissent. It is the normalization of militarized policed and surveillance. It is colonial subjects accepting colonial rule in exchange for better living conditions, financial benefits and integration into second-class citizenship.

Kashmir is considered the world’s most militarized zone and has been under colonial occupation for over 75 years. This book covers Kashmir’s state-building process in its economy, education, language, tourism, and culture, while simultaneously being under Indian occupation.

The Jammu and Kashmir region was acceded to India in 1947, without the consent of the Kashmiri people. The Jammu Massacre of 1947 was the ethnic cleansing of the Jammu region from a Muslim majority people to a Hindu majority.

Anyone who supports the liberation of Palestine, supports the self-determination of Kashmiris.

[Ash Papillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did the indian freedom movement accept that because the Treaty of Yandaboo signed over Assam to Britain it is now English land, rightfully? Then why is the accession of Kashmir into India, by a BRITISH INSTALLED dictator, without ANY democratic legitimacy unquestioned? Such hypocrisies are made evidently clear.
It is not the polemics that I disagree with however, but simply the level of scholarship. Parts of the book could be clearer than stating conclusions of other academics(tell us their arguments? how did they reach those conclusions?)

Being banned by Hindutva fascists however is a tremendous achievement for which I commend Kanjwal. Every Indian should read this boook, put yourself in a Kashmiri's shoes, and ask yourself if YOU would accept what India did to Kashmir if say the British did to you?(picked your PM, commanded your army etc.)

[Ali Naqvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book and insight into how colonization is part and parcel to the birth of India as a nation state, despite the popular framing of an India that was secular, pluralistic and democratic nation before being turned into an ethnonationalist project. very well researched, but too dense. covers early years of kashmir in india, mainly focusing on the bakshi admin. kanjwal does a good job tracing the various ways colonization takes root in culture, education, economic planning, tourism, and more.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good, I read it for school. Possibly she tried to combine too many theoretical frameworks but the evidence and sourcing was interesting.

[Mehul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential read when it comes to the Occupation of Kashmir. As an Indian I was already decently familiar with the conflict, but even if I’d gone in with zero prior knowledge this would’ve been an incredibly easy to read and insightful book. Filled to the brim with historical context, loads of research, and a solid socio-political outlook on the region its an enlightening read when it comes to really understanding how the autonomy of the region and its people has been slowly undermined. While I personally do understand why it didn’t go into the history of the insurgency in the region, that was the only piece of the puzzle I really felt was missing. Highly recommend this.