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Special Issue: Writing about Kashmir

In a world that continues to be carved up into the false binary of West vs. East, there is an abundance of scholarly work on history and memory, history and gender, and trauma and art in Europe and the United States (Khan 2021, 2). But such substantial and scholarly work on Jammu and Kashmir – which connects the past with the present by weaving the nuances of history, fiction, and poetry into threaded concepts – is lacking. Recent trends in writings on the region have foregrounded the repercussions of the armed insurgency and counter insurgency in Kashmir, while relegating academic content to the background. I would argue that in an interdisciplinary space, academic content can enhance the depth of knowledge that is required to understand the potential historical implications of the conflict in the region, particularly in the Valley of Kashmir. I would just as strongly argue that the complexities and nuances of contemporary issues cannot be discerned without historical knowledge. Scholarship on Jammu and Kashmir should reflect the changing nature of the conflict and promote multidisciplinary approaches to resolving issues of significance to the populace of the region. The knowledge and skills that are necessary for doing so must be grounded in concepts that weave, as I said earlier, history and contemporary issues into an intricate tapestry. This tapestry would comprise conceptual threads and enable those who study the region to examine the intricacy of every aspect of it. Educators strive to create conceptual frameworks for facilitating students’ ability to critically analyze the past and connect events of past eons to the contemporary world. How can we connect the concept of periods of progression and regression in Kashmiri society to the students’ world in thought-provoking ways? How can we connect discussions and academic debates about the richness and erosion of Kashmir society to the students’ world in ways that would enable them to not just identify contemporary problems, but to provide solutions as well? To that end, in this special issue of South Asian Review on Kashmir, we have sought to include voices that have steered clear of unidimensional readings of the region. On the contrary, those scholars whose writings we have included in this issue have plumbed the depths of the multidimensionality of the region. The articles that this special issue comprises foreground the plight of those craving a world in which social justice, political enfranchisement, cultural pride, and self-realization are the order of the