When countries in the Global South gained independence from European colonial rule, they didn’t fully break away from the systems imposed by their former colonizers. While they became independent nations, they continued to follow the same ideas about borders, governance, and state power—ideas shaped by colonial rule. In other words, they removed foreign rulers but didn’t necessarily rethink the structures that defined nations and states.

In today’s episode, we sit with Hafsa Kanjwal, author of the book ‘Colonizing Kashmir: State-building Under Indian Occupation.’ and explore how the Indian and Kashmiri governments used development and governance to tighten India’s control over Kashmir after Partition. In her book, she argues that India’s efforts to integrate and develop Kashmir after British rule were fundamentally colonial. She examines how India brought Kashmir under its control without the people's approval, using local leaders who followed India’s interests. Her work argues that India’s actions were not about freedom but instead shows them as part of a larger effort to strengthen the country after World War II.

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Book Recommendations by Guest:

• Resisting Disappearance: Military Occupation and Women's Activism in Kashmir by Ather Zia

• Indians on Indian Lands: Intersections of Race, Caste, and Indigeneity by Nishant Upadhyay