Since 1947, Kashmir has been a source of conflict for India and Pakistan, and the question of Kashmiri sovereignty remains a fraught political issue. The UK’s role is constrained by the discourse of Kashmir as an internal or bilateral (India-Pakistan) issue even as former Foreign Minister Jack Straw called it ‘a lingering British legacy’ (Suroor 2011).

In the last decade, however, the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission and NGO reports on the scale of human rights abuses demonstrate that the Kashmir issue requires international intervention (Mathur 2013).

In order to create public awareness, and to inform potential policy initiatives regarding this geopolitical problem, we have embarked on a project to bring together key scholars, media and creative practitioners (writers, artists, filmmakers), policy makers and NGOs who have addressed the complexity of sovereignty in Kashmir.

Two events will be held as part of this project: a half-day workshop at the University of Warwick and a one-day colloquium in partnership with University of Westminster, London. Each event will be oriented toward understanding the complex dimensions of the practices of sovereignty in relation to security, state and sectarian violence, religious nationalism, human rights, and a distinctive Kashmiri cultural history and identity.

The London-based public engagement colloquium will draw on knowledge gained from the workshop to engage a wider audience of academics, NGOs, media and creative practitioners, and policy makers.

The events are open to those concerned with the study of sovereignty, the Kashmir issue, and South Asian politics.

If you are interested in participating in the events, please contact

Reva Yunus, Doctoral Researcher in Sociology (R.Yunus@warwick.ac.uk) or
Dr. Goldie Osuri, Assistant Professor in Sociology
Email: G.Osuri@warwick.ac.uk

 

These events are part of a collaborative research project conducted by Dr. Goldie Osuri (Sociology, University of Warwick), Associate Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams (PAIS, University of Warwick) and Associate Professor Dibyesh Anand (Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster).

The events have been sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Study, the Department of Sociology (University of Warwick), the Department of Politics and International Relations (University of Westminster), and the Connecting Cultures as well as the International Development Global Research Priorities networks (University of Warwick).