Contesting Masculinities and Women’s Agency in Kashmir

168 Pages·2022·7.365 MB·English

by  Amya Agarwal

Contesting Masculinities
and Women’s Agency
in Kashmir
MEN AND MASCULINITIES IN A
TRANSNATIONAL WORLD
Series Editors: Simona Sharoni (SUNY Plattsburgh) and Henri Myrttinen
(International Alert)
In the past two decades, the field of men and masculinities studies has been
steadily growing in both breadth and depth. As a result, working with men
and masculinities has gained increased interest not only among scholars in the
academy but also among policy makers and practitioners. This is reflected in
a steady increase in research on masculinities but also in the growth of the
global MenEngage movement. In the political arena, the recent UN Security
Council Resolution 2242 on gender, peace, and security also specifically
mentioned working with men and boys. At the same time, however, critical
men and masculinities studies remain underrepresented in research and
policy debates, as well as in academic publications and curricula. The book
series aims to advance interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary/transdisciplinary
scholarship on men and masculinities.
Titles in the Series
Contesting Masculinities and Women’s Agency in Kashmir
Amya Agarwal
Wartime Sexual Violence Against Men: Masculinities and Power in
Conflict Zones
Élise Féron
Rethinking Masculinities: Ideology, Identity and Change in the People’s
War in Nepal and the Aftermath
Heidi Riley
Contesting
Masculinities and
Women’s Agency
in Kashmir
Amya Agarwal

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London

For my interviewees, interlocutors, and friends in Kashmir—
for their time, help and support in the field research.
For single parents and children of single parents—striving to make
a place for themselves in sometimes an alienating world.

For my grandfather, “Nanan” (1930–2014), from whom I
learned early lessons on care and unconditional love.
For my daughter, “Amaira,” who brings happiness,
light, and joy in my life every day.
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Chapter 1: Gender, Agency, and Field Research Experiences in
Conflict 1
Chapter 2: Providing a Roadmap: Historical Background and
Conceptual Parameters 19
Chapter 3: Military Masculinities of the State Armed Forces in
Kashmir 43
Chapter 4: Militarized Manhood in the Kashmiri Resistance 71
Chapter 5: Women’s Agency Amid the Interplay of Masculinities 95
Chapter 6: Toward a More Nuanced Gender Approach to Studying
Conflicts 127
Bibliography 139
Index 153

About the Author 161

vii
Acknowledgments
This book was written and revised during my postdoctoral research fellow-
ship at the Centre for Global Cooperation Research, Duisburg, Germany. I
extend my gratitude to Sigrid Quack, Matthias Schuller, and Freya Köhler
for providing suitable research, administrative and office support. I am most
grateful to my colleagues, Katja Freistein and Christine Unrau, for their sus-
tained encouragement and friendship. My former officemate, Zeynep Sahin
Mencutek, provided generous suggestions, guidance, and also shared my care
work on important days. In many ways, she became my family in Duisburg.
My special thanks to her.
My current institutional home, Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut, University
of Freiburg, provided strong support during the book production stage. I
thank the entire research team, and in particular, Franzisca Zanker, Helga
Dickow, and Clemens Jürgenmeyer for the gift of their friendship, kindness,
and warmth that I cherish most in the beautiful city of Freiburg. Many thanks
also to Arne Bode and Frederik Hermle for their close reading of the proofs
and their helpful suggestions.
No words can express my gratitude to the book series editor, Henri
Myrttinen, who patiently went through several rounds of drafts and provided

detailed comments, which not only helped in making considerable improve-
ments to the book, but also became a great learning opportunity for me. He

accompanied the manuscript throughout and held my words and thoughts
with so much care. Thank you, Henri.I also thank the Rowman & Littlefield
(R&L) publishing team, especially Katelyn Turner and Michael Hals for their
understanding during the book production. Dhara Snowden was the senior
commissioning editor when I first discussed the book idea in Baltimore,

2017, and I thank her for believing in my work.
The research in this book was part of my PhD thesis, and I am thankful

to my supervisor, Navnita C. Behera for encouraging me to strive for bet-
ter and making me understand the value of hard-work. I also owe thanks

to my fellow PhD course-mates for their encouragement. My friends and
ix
x Acknowledgments
research interlocutors in Kashmir provided steadfast support for conducting
field research in several districts, and I thank them for their time and tireless
efforts. I extend my gratitude to each interviewee who trusted me enough to
share their lived experiences. Despite the short encounters, their caring ways
and conversations have stayed with me. Many thanks to professors in differ-
ent universities in Kashmir for generously sharing their research experiences
that helped me gain valuable insights into the Kashmiri society and culture. I
also thank employees at various governmental and non-governmental organi-
zations in Kashmir for promptly providing relevant data.
I was fortunate to have found academic camaraderie and inspiration during
the book-writing process. Philipp Schulz, Heleen Touquet, Roxani Krystalli,
Swati Parashar, David Duriesmith and Shweta Singh are some academics
whose work, patience, and kindness have greatly influenced my thoughts and
writing. My former colleagues, and dear friends in Delhi—Sandhya Devesan
Nambiar, Renny Thomas, Jessy Phillip, and Roshan Xalxo provided aca-
demic guidance and emotional support through the process: debates, discus-
sions, carrom, food explorations, shared love for dhaba chai, and sometimes
nightlong conversations on gender—all helped in the articulation of some of
the initial ideas in the book. I am grateful to them. I also thank my students at
University of Delhi and South Asian University for their important reflections
and engaging conversations.
Material collected during my PhD research in Kashmir was also used to
write other articles, book chapters and blogs. The information was carefully
employed to avoid major overlaps with the content in the book. In addition,
my own ways of thinking, of analysis and of articulation have undergone
significant changes since I wrote the previous pieces. Acknowledging the
evolving process of thinking and writing is also an important part of the
academic journey.
This book was written during a challenging period of my life, marked with
a few transitions. For the same, I convey thanks to my family, especially to

my maternal grandmother for her unconditional love; and to my mother and

maternal uncle for their faith and encouragement. The strength to complete

this book as a single mother (during a global pandemic and in a foreign coun-
try) is a legacy I received in unconscious ways from my own (single) mother.
Sorry that it took a whole pandemic for me to realize this—thank you, ma. As
I finalize the book proofs at my maternal grandparents’ house in Bhopal, I am
beginning to value how this home has provided a sense of roots and security

in my life. Returning to the feeling of home has been both a restoring and
healing experience.

Some friendships are blessings that make difficult times seem tolerable.

I thank Nidhi Sharma Parashar and Sophia De for their strong support in
hard times. Their wholehearted acceptance and generosity fills my heart with
Acknowledgments xi
gratitude and love. I also thank Vineet Thakur for being there in these trying
times. My heartfelt thanks to Kavita Didi for taking care of my daughter dur-
ing the long fieldwork hours and so much more. Her caring presence has been
a huge blessing in our lives.
Finally, my deepest gratitude to my daughter, Amaira, who has been my
companion at each step of the making of this book: starting from field research
in Kashmir as an eight-month-old baby to traveling across continents as an
eight-year-old and now to providing expert advice on handling pressures. Her
patience, acceptance, and love for me—in this process and beyond—make all
the challenges seem worthwhile. Thank you, Amaira.