Mona Bhan: Dust, Dams, and the Weaponization of Water in Kashmir

On Monday, February 10th, the South Asia Center of Syracuse University is pleased to welcome Mona Bhan, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies at Syracuse University. This talk will analyze the relationship between dam building, border wars, and India’s settler colonial politics in Kashmir, particularly in the aftermath of the removal of Articles 370 and 35A that maintained Kashmir’s semiautonomous status in the Indian union. Bhan will discuss how controlling vital Himalayan rivers fortifies Hindu reimaginings of Kashmiri territory while forcibly integrating the region into India’s extractive economy. 

Mona Bhan specializes in border wars and counterinsurgency; militarism and humanitarianism; race, gender, and religion; environmentalism and climate change; water and infrastructure. Bhan is also engaged in public anthropology. She works closely with activists and human rights organizations on the ground in Kashmir to understand how multiple actors are situated differently in relation to the conflict. Her current research entails looking at infrastructure as an instrument of occupation.

This talk will take place at 12:00pm in 341 Eggers Hall. Please join us! 

This event is cosponsored by the Sovereignty, Order and Conflict Seminar Series.