As of today, Friday October 11th, 2019, it has been exactly 68 days (and counting) since India revoked Article 370 (defining and formalizing its relationship to Kashmir) from its constitution, alarmingly accelerating an already-crippling military occupation of Kashmir.

That is 68 days (& counting) of a complete communication blackout of internet, phones, and other media. 68 days (& counting) where Kashmiris have been unable to hear from family/friends. 68 days (& counting) of thousands of additional Indian soldiers added to the already-present ~600,000 Indian troops administering a violent and merciless military occupation of the tiny region of Kashmir since the Indian partition in 1947.

In light of this ongoing and accelerating military occupation, lack of media attention, and urgent calls for international solidarity, #BecauseWeveRead is honored to be partnering with Stand With Kashmir to host this 'Emergency Read' on Kashmir. 


EMERGENCY READ ON KASHMIR:
UNTIL MY FREEDOM HAS COME



Until My Freedom Has Come: The New Intifada in Kashmir is a composition of beautiful, painful, inspiring, and compelling essays written in various styles (poetry, short narrative, autobiographical, academic, etc) by Kashmiris in Kashmir and around the world. While this text was published in 2013 and is generally themed around the tumultuous 2010 uprisings in Kashmir, the voices and stories presented in its essays are both timeless and integral to contextualize and better understand the contemporary situation unfolding before our eyes. 

We are excited to be collaborating with Stand With Kashmir for this Emergency Read. #SWK is a Kashmiri diaspora-driven grassroots collective dedicated to building solidarity with the people of Kashmir in ending the occupation and supporting their right to self-determination. 


BOOK

Until My Freedom Has Come: The New Intifada in Kashmir (2013), Sanjay Kak, editor. 

Thank you to our amazing publishing partners, Haymarket Books, for providing #BecauseWeveRead members with a FREE E-book (available here) as well as a 30% off discount for those wanting to purchase a hardcopy!


ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

+ #StandWithKashmir instagram, twitter, and website for regular updates on the current situation in Kashmir as well as ways to get involved and stand in solidarity with the people of Kashmir
+ The Kashmir Syllabus - an INCREDIBLE and incredibly detailed 14-week syllabus covering everything from general background and timelines to cultural production to women's organizing to borders and bodies and everything in-between, curated by Hafsa Kanjwal
+ "The Lockdown of Kashmir With Hafsa Kanjwal" interview on Why is this Happening Podcast
+ "India’s settler-colonial project in Kashmir takes a disturbing turn", - article by Hafsa Kanjwal in The Washington Post
+ "Kashmir Under Siege: India Moves to Annex Territory, Heightening Tensions with Nuclear Rival Pakistan" - interview with Sanjay Kak, Mirza Waheed, and Siddhartha Deb on Democracy Now
Interview with Hafsa Kanjwal on The Dean Obeidallah Show
+ Interview with Mohamad Junaid on SABC
+ "Kashmir under lockdown: All the latest updates" - Aljazeera 
+ "India Moves to Strip Kashmir of Autonomy, Potentially Setting up Conflict in Disputed Territory" - article by Murtaza Hussain in The Intercept
+ "State and Political Subjectivity in Kashmir" - lecture and panel conversation with Hafsa Kanjwal & Mohamad Junaid 
+ Kashmiri Dictionary instagram page 


+ Everyday Occupations Experiencing Militarism in South Asia and the Middle East (2013) - collection of essays edited by Kamala Visweswaran
Resisting Occupation in Kashmir (2018) - collection of essays edited by Haley Duschinski, Mona Bhan, Ather Zia, and Cynthia Mahmood
+ "They want us to write. In blood." - poetry by Ather Zia
"Student Protests" - photo essay by Faisal Khan
+ Here Still (2019) - film by Tara Dorabji and Jamie DeWolf
Jashn-e Azadi: How We Celebrate Freedom (2007) - film by Sanjay Kak 
+ Kashmir - Inside A Friday Protest, Ep. 6 (2016) - 30min short film by Sahil Ali & Avalok Langer 




SOCIAL MEDIA


(We're giving away copies of Until My Freedom Has Come on social media, so be sure to follow us for a chance to win! Also, we love our reader posts! Use the hashtag #BecauseWeveRead & #StandWithKashmir and tag us & Stand With Kashmir to join the conversation on social media, and we might just repost you!)


LIVE, GLOBAL DISCUSSION

DATE: Saturday, October 26th 
TIME: 10:00 AM, CST
PLATFORM: Youtube Live (linked here, and embedded below)
GUESTS: Sanjay Kak, Hafsa Kanjwal, & Mohamad Junaid 



SANJAY KAK is an independent documentary filmmaker and writer whose recent work includes the films Red Ant Dream (2013) about the persistence of the revolutionary ideal in India, Jashn-e-Azadi (How we celebrate freedom, 2007) about the idea of freedom in Kashmir, and Words on Water (2002) about the struggle against the Narmada dams in central India. In 2017 he curated, edited and published the critically acclaimed photobook, Witness – Kashmir 1986-2016, 9 Photographers, published independently under the imprint of Yaarbal books. He is the editor of the anthology Until My Freedom Has Come – The New Intifada in Kashmir (Penguin India 2011, Haymarket Books USA 2013). A self-taught filmmaker, he writes occasional political commentary, and reviews books that he is passionately engaged by. He has been active with the documentary cinema movement in India and the Cinema of Resistance project.

HAFSA KANJWAL is an assistant professor of South Asian history at Lafayette College. She received her PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in History and Women's Studies. Her research focuses on post-Partition state-building in Indian-occupied Kashmir. She has written and spoken on Kashmir for a variety of news outlets including The Washington Post, Al Jazeera English, and the BBC.

MOHAMAD JUNAID is an assistant professor of Anthropology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He specializes in political movements, militarization, space and place, memory studies, and visual anthropology, and his previous work analyzed youth activism, political subjectivity, & practices of state violence in Kashmir. Junaid is currently working on an ethnographic study of the visual economy of violence in South Asia.



CHAPTERS / DISCUSSION GROUPS 

Our amazing #BecauseWeveRead official chapter leads are listed below, along with their email addresses to get in touch! They will be releasing the date for their meetup and additional information as the month progresses, so be sure to get in touch letting them know you're interested in joining! (We also share all of their events on our social media!)  

We're also excited that many of our chapters will also be collaborating with local Stand With Kashmir groups globally to lead discussions, support with community organizing efforts, and host public events in their cities!

Don't see your city listed below and want to start your own #BecauseWeveRead chapter? Email us at bwr@joojooazad.com to learn more on how to get started! 


NORTH AMERICA

Ann Arbor/Detroit, Michigan: Michael & Samantha 

Montreal, Canada: Mona & Celia

NYC, New York: Anisa 

Seattle, Washington: Alia & Imaan 

Vancouver, Canada: Julia & Dyalla


AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya: Suhayl Omar


ASIA

Bombay/Mumbai, IndiaSmriti 

Dubai, UAE: Reem & Noha 

Jakarta, Indonesia: Annissa, Nana, & Intan 

Karachi, Pakistan: Sheema & Amal

Lahore, Pakistan: Madiha

Tehran, Iran: Farid


EUROPE

Birmingham, England: Milga & Georgia

Leeds, England: Aanika

London, England: Alliyah & Maryam

Vienna, Austria: Victoria & Natasha


OCEANIA