The Subaltern Kashmiri: Exploring Alternative Approaches in the Analysis of Secession

Abstract

The Subaltern Studies group re-visited historiography in an approach that sought to extend voices to the voiceless actors in South Asian history: the peasants, insurgents, women, and others seen as subjugated by elitist, colonialist discourses through the re-evaluation of texts, documents, and alternative sources. Although an alternative, theoretical framework has been adopted by the disciplines of history and anthropology, the political sciences tend to operate on a top-down approach and do not adequately incorporate subaltern voices. Using the secessionist movement in Kashmir as a case study, this essay aims to explore the concept of subalternity and how it may be incorporated as an alternative perspective in which to analyse, interpret, and find solutions to contemporary internecine conflicts, useful to academics and policymakers.