Beautiful Prison

Abstract

This thesis is an ethnographic account of everyday life in a conflict zone. This ethnographic newlinejourney starts by analyzing the notion of normalcy in Kashmir, one of the most contested newlineplaces in the world; and, further moves to examine the geopolitics of everyday life in this region. newlineThe dissertation asks: if normalcy is understood as an effect of regularly held practices in a newlinerepetitive and rhythmic way, then, what is normal in a disturbed area? If ruptures challenge the newlinecontinuity of the routine, then, what about the everyday lives of the ordinary people where newlineruptures have become the routine? I focus on the mundane, prosaic, and ordinary aspects of daily newlinelife and draw attention towards the struggle and negotiation hidden beneath the apparent routine. newlineSecond, by focusing on historical narratives and experiences grounded in the local geography newlineand in social relations, the thesis traces the links between history, memory and the everyday. newlineThird, and more broadly, this study discusses the bodily struggles in everyday spaces newlineaccommodating geopolitical pressures and emotions like intimacy and fear. My research is newlineinformed by qualitative research methods. My focus as an ethnographic researcher was on newlineparticipant observation with its emphasis on experience and the words, voices and lives of the newlineparticipants. This approach combines the processes observed, with specific features of the newlinecontext in which these events occur, which is itself linked to historical and cultural newlinecontingencies. Overall, this thesis contributes to the understanding of the lived realities and the newlineeveryday with its inherent ambiguities and contradictions dealing with a range of emotions, newlinebeliefs and the precarious nature of life. newline