Episode Three: History


In the third episode of The Zanaan Wanaan Podcast, we discuss History as an academic discipline in the context of Kashmir. The episode discusses the politics of history writing, evidence interpretation, the accessibility and importance of reliable sources in Kashmiri history, the systematic erasure of women from primary texts, the role of institutions in conducting research in this discipline and the significance of oral narratives. For this episode, we were joined by three dynamic students and early career researchers in the field:

Aakriti Suresh is a PhD Scholar at the Department of History, University of Hyderabad. Her current research aims to inquire into the environmental history and political ecology of Kashmir under the Dogra rule. She is also interested in, and has explored, the ideas of gender, poetry and oral traditions in the context of premodern Kashmir.

Malik Irtiza is an independent artist currently based in Srinagar. She recently graduated from the University of Delhi in History Honours. Since then she has been developing her research based on art practice. Her practice is informed by her training in history and her personal narratives. Through her research she is trying to understand the everyday-ness of life in conflict zones, especially of women’s experiences in Kashmir.

Mahia Bashir completed her undergraduate degree at St Stephen’s College, Delhi. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Empires, Colonialism and Globalisation taught by the Department of International History from the London School of Economics. She is interested in exploring global and transnational approaches towards the study of history.