Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir

Obama-McCainelection,another momentof potentialrenovation. Mindful of tensions afoot, driving through theheart ofthecountry, he getsa crashcoursein Balkanized American politicsand an irritated publicinflamed bytalkradio. Steinbeck hadhisfamous Rocinante - a custom-made Wolverine campershellfixedto thebed ofa three-quarter-ton pickup - butBarichmadehistrip ina humble Ford Focusrental. Steinbeck had French poodle Charleyas a companion; Barichtraveledalone. His tripis less relaxedthanSteinbeck's, and he packshistimewithencounters andsidetrips, constantly taking the pulseofa country heclearly loves, easilyengagingwithpeople from all backgrounds (a hallmark ofhis workingeneral), sensing thatperhaps something fundamental has changedduringhis absence,but hesitating to criticize too harshly before getting thewholestory. In theend,Barichseemsbetterequipped forculturalshocks and changesthanSteinbeck - perhaps his adaptability is whatdistinguishes theirgenerational differences . He reaches San Francisco, heart ofhisCalifornia roots (hefirst arrived thereduringtheeast-west hippiemigration ofthe1960s), just intimetowitness BarackObama's electionvictory. He's rejuvenated bythetrip (Steinbeck seemedworn downbyhis),gladtobe back,and readyforthenextphase. Casting a savvyeye on reality, he tethers hisexpectations towhathe knows abouthumanfailings and limitationsrather thanidealism(remaining hopeful and open-minded nonetheless). LongWayHomewill no doubtfulfill theexpectations of Barich'smanyfansand admirers, dedicated tohislucidprose, eyefor detail, andunerring curiosity. George Evans San Francisco NylaAHKhan. Islam,Women, and Violence in Kashmir: Between India and Pakistan. New York.Palgrave Macmillan . 2010. 234 pages, ill.$85. isbn9780 -230-10764-9 Kashmir manifests many ofthegeopoliticaltensionsin SouthAsia betweenPakistan and India,Islam andHinduism, nuclear waranddisarmament , British colonialism and postcolonialism, women'sempowermentand women's repression, incorporation and independence. Nyla Ali Khan,deftly combining ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and literary analyses,dramatizes these geopolitical tensions in theeveryday lives of the people of Kashmir (or the former princely state ofJammu and Kashmir ["J& K]"). Early inthebook,shediscusses Lalla -Ded's fourteenth-century poetic representations of the beautiful Himalayan valleyswhereKashmiri people dwell. AlthoughKashmir has a Muslimmajority, itspopulationincludessubstantial numbers of Buddhists and Hindus.In state formation, theJammu andKashmir NationalCongress adopteda more secular nationalistapproach that was laterchallenged by theforces of "religiousfundamentalism and exclusionary nationalism." Various transfers ofpower, mostly undemocratic , haveoccurred inthecolonial and postcolonialperiods,resultingin Kashmir beinga setting for political factionalism, IndianUnion manipulation and domination, and Pakistani designs onthearea. In 1948 the United Nations Security Councilvoted to have a plebiscite forKashmiris in Pakistan and India to decidewhether they wantedto pursuean autonomous existence, but theplebiscite never occurred. Theauthor's grandfather, AbdullahMohammad, as thefirst prime minister (1948-53), playedan important roleinefforts tocreate an autonomous Kashmir andtoaddress its socioeconomic needs.This fact givesKhan'sbooka strong autobiographical component. Through land redistribution tothepeasantry duringMohammad 's ruleoftheJ& K, feudalism endedinIndianKashmir, butitcontinues inPakistan, creating a situation inwhichthere is uneven development. The status of women has been inextricably tiedto thevagaries of Kashmiri postcolonial history . Women, whomKhansuggests had greater empowerment during Mohammad'sreign,have experiencedthebrunt ofrepression from theIndian army andPakistani insurgents sinceviolence started toescalateintheearly1990s . Through the colonialperiod,women'sdifferentialstatus withmenwas steadfastly 761WorldLiterature Today maintained. Women had limited educational andprofessional opportunities ; husbandshad controlof thematerial resources ofthefamily; womenwereexpected tobearchildren ,consentto polygynous familyarrangements , and be shunned and replaced ifthey couldnotbear children. Therecent anarchy initiated by "government-sponsored militants and foreign mercenaries" has militarizedmaleyouthculture and,in turn, negatively impacted women's status.Womenhave experienced thebruntof humanrightsviolations ,includingrapes, "custodial disappearances" and murders, and brutalinterrogations. Thus,a class ofwomen hasbeencreated whoare victims ofthese violations. I highly recommendIslam, Women,and Violence in Kashmir. Nyla Khan has writtena very vivid, engaging,and insightful book analyzingthe development of theKashmiri crisisthrough literature , history, and ethnography whileforegrounding thestatusof women.She leads thereaderto a deeperunderstanding ofthiscomplex , continually unfolding crisis andclarifies issuesthat willneedto be addressed as Kashmir moveson itsfuture path. Betty Harris University ofOklahoma The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature . Han Stavans, ed. New York. W.W. Norton.201 1. Ixxi+ 2,489 pages + A1-A177. $59.95. isbn 978-0-39308007 -0 Thislong-anticipated volumeaptly represents theextraordinary scope of scholarship and aesthetics that one expectsboth froma Norton anthologyand fromthe Latino literary tradition. More than450 yearsofwriting bysometwohundred writers is organizedin five principal sections: Colonization: 1537-1810, Annexations: 1811-1898, Acculturation: 1899-1945, Upheaval : 1946-1979, and IntotheMainstream : 1980-Present. Inchronologicalorder - beginning withHispanic colonialwriters (Las Casas,Cabeza deVaca,ElIncaGarcilaso, andelevenothers ) andending with themost contemporary writers (suchasJunot Diaz andMariposa) - aretheessentialworksofLatinoliterature inall genres.(About one-fourth of the material istranslated from theoriginalSpanish , although hybrid Spanish -English textsare unaltered.) A sixthsection, PopularDimensions, introduces some folkand popular genres.The generalintroduction ("TheSearchforWholeness"), sectionand authorintroductions, endpapermaps showingexploration and immigration patterns, and threeappendixesunderscore issuesofhistory, identity, andliteraryhistory thatinform bothLatino expression and thecreation of the anthology.(The appended materialisa chronology ofliterature and history

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