Being National or Non-National Sheikh Abdullah's Autobiography and the History of Kashmir

Download or read book Being National or Non-National Sheikh Abdullah's Autobiography and the History of Kashmir written by Dr. Waseem Ahmad Dar and published by Blue Rose Publishers. This book was released on 2022-03-31 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book encompasses a preliminary reading of Sheikh Abdullah’s autobiography i.e. Aatish-e-Chinar with the aim of unravelling the notion of the nation it embodies. The autobiography captures the trajectories of the Kashmiri nation and nationalism and values that define it and the tendencies it is opposed to. The imagination of being national by Abdullah involved a simultaneous process of exalting certain attributes as national and others as non-national while placing himself at the centre of this historic nationalistic project. Sheikh Abdullah’s autobiography stands out for its national character and faith in secularism and multiculturalism, overriding the prevalent orthodoxies. The study is also important because it draws us to the national politics that made Abdullah think in terms of remaining independent of both India and Pakistan, which has undergone a transformation and change over time– the transformation of Jammu and Kashmir from a ‘nation’ to a ‘sub-nation’ as an administrative entity.