Disquieting Edges

This book explores the intersections of gender, religion, ethnicity, and class in the fragile borderlands of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh against the backdrop of the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. It contributes to existing research in the fields of gender, intersectionality, borderland studies, and peacebuilding by focusing on women – an extremely vulnerable group – particularly during situations of conflict. Drawing on primary and secondary resources, this study is largely based on field research – including during the launch of Operation Sindoor and post-Galwan militarisation of Eastern Ladakh’s border villages – in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the voices of women from Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. Through narrative inquiry, it features in-depth personal interviews and case stories, providing a well-rounded gendered perspective of the region. This book will be useful to the scholars, students, and teachers of political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, and development studies. It will also be an indispensable resource for scholars of peace and conflict studies as well as practitioners of peacebuilding. In addition, it would be of interest to general readers following the developments in the erstwhile state post-abrogation.