Punjab was the arena of one of the major armed conflicts of post-colonial India. Mallika Kaur’s new book makes an urgent intervention in the history of the conflict, which to date has generally been characterized by a fixation on sensational violence—or ignored altogether. Within an already marginalized and invisiblized conflict (though up to 250,000 people died), the voices of women are/were further marginalized. This book excavates the varied and hybrid roles assumed by Sikh women; their negotiating violence and trauma amid multiple responsibilities, while defying the stereotypes of a monolithic identity. Even when the violence disproportionately targeted the male body, it provoked the policing of the female body, and succeeded in profoundly affecting the community’s entire body politic. This book highlights how attention to various forms of gendered violence—direct and indirect—is necessary to end vicious cycles in conflict and post-conflict zones.
Mallika Kaur is a lawyer and writer who focuses on human rights, with a specialization in gender and minority issues. She received her Master in Public Policy from Harvard University, USA, and her Juris Doctorate from the UC Berkeley School of Law, USA, where she currently teaches.
In conversation with Sneha Annavarapu (PhD Candidate, Sociology)
Dates:
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 – 4:30pm
5733 S University Ave; Community Room