Imagining Kashmir - (Frontiers of Narrative) by Patrick Colm Hogan (Hardcover)

About the Book

"During the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, Kashmir Valley--an intricate mix of regional, ethnic, linguistic, religious, and caste communities--became a hotly disputed territory. With portions of the region divided among India, Pakistan, and the People's Republic of China, major territorial disputes, particularly between India and Pakistan, have persisted over historical and cultural claims to the land. 'Imagining Kashmir' negotiates the cinematic and literary imaginations of the Kashmir region's conflicts and diverse citizenship, analyzing a wide range of narratives from writers and directors such as Salman Rushdie, Bharat Wakhlu, Mani Rutman, and Mirza Waheed in conjunction with research in psychology, cognitive science, and social neuroscience. Hogan provides a historical and cultural analysis of Kashmir that advances the existing theoretical knowledge of narrative, colonialism, and their corresponding ideologies in relation to the the cognitive and affective operations of identity. Hogan considers how narrative organizes people's understanding of, and emotions about, real political situations, and the ways in which such situations in turn influence cultural narratives, re-forming and potentially deforming them"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

During the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent, Kashmir-a Muslim-majority area ruled by a Hindu maharaja-became a hotly disputed territory. Divided between India and Pakistan, the region has been the focus of international wars and the theater of political and military struggles for self-determination. The result has been great human suffering within the state, with political implications extending globally. Imagining Kashmir examines cinematic and literary imaginings of the Kashmir region's conflicts and diverse citizenship, analyzing a wide range of narratives from writers and directors such as Salman Rushdie, Bharat Wakhlu, Mani Ratnam, and Mirza Waheed in conjunction with research in psychology, cognitive science, and social neuroscience. In this innovative study, Patrick Colm Hogan's historical and cultural analysis of Kashmir advances theories of narrative, colonialism, and their corresponding ideologies in relation to the cognitive and affective operations of identity. Hogan considers how narrative organizes people's understanding of, and emotions about, real political situations and the ways in which such situations in turn influence cultural narratives, not only in Kashmir but around the world. Patrick Colm Hogan is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut, where he is also on the faculty of the Program in Cognitive Science and the Program in India Studies. He is the author of numerous books, including Understanding Nationalism: On Narrative, Cognitive Science, and Identity and Affective Narratology: The Emotional Structure of Stories (Nebraska, 2011).

Review Quotes

"A valuable contribution to colonial/postcolonial literary studies as well as cognitive cultural studies."--Nancy L. Easterlin, professor of women's studies and gender studies at the University of New Orleans-- (2/25/2016 12:00:00 AM)

"This is an exciting and important book that has no equal in the field. It will be of interest to a range of scholars who work on Kashmir, postcolonialism, cognitive approaches to culture, and conflict resolution."--Sophia McClennen, professor of comparative literature and international affairs at Pennsylvania State University
-- (2/25/2016 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Patrick Colm Hogan is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut, where he is also on the faculty of the Program in Cognitive Science and the Program in India Studies. He is the author of numerous books, including Understanding Nationalism: On Narrative, Cognitive Science, and Identity and Affective Narratology: The Emotional Structure of Stories (Nebraska, 2011).