ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the experiences of Kashmiri Sikh women in the context of Kashmir’s ongoing political conflict. Focusing on the Chittisinghpora massacre in which 35 Sikh men were killed in this small village on March 20, 2000, the chapter analyzes the ongoing impacts of this violence for the women who were widowed, as well as for a younger generation of Sikh women who have grown up in its shadow. The research finds that the pervasive uncertainty created by violence and militarism genders the experiences of these two groups of women, albeit in diametrically different ways. While young women, who are encouraged to more openly embrace the Sikh rehat maryada (code of conduct) become hyper-visible in conflict, the women widowed in Chittisinghpora find themselves invisibilized in its aftermath. Ultimately, the chapter examines how these experiences become important for Kashmiri Sikhs, a demographic micro-minority, to project a moral “hegemony” and ensure the quam’s everyday safety and survival in Kashmir.
