Inverse Journal just completed a year of exploration this month after its already troubled launch on February 1, 2019. As such, we are proud to present (in the scrollable timeline below) the writings, ideas and work by our many contributors from Kashmir and across the globe who shaped our 2019 in this small but persistent community of readers, writers, artists, poets, filmmakers, scholars, journalists and creatives from multiple fields. 2019 has been the year when—struggling (while still struggling)—the journal took off from South Kashmir and into uncharted territory—risking the attempt to connect diverse peoples from different backgrounds, all sharing in common the features of contemporary culture that make us one: our verses, our stories, our songs, our films, our incisive critical thinking, our contemporary ideas, our research, our scholarship and above all, our voices.
Below is a timeline that charts this journey that began on February 1, 2019 and that has persisted since, against all the odds. We are grateful to the global academic community for sharing their work to be read more widely, beyond the confines of academic publishing, via the Creative Commons medium. We appreciate equally our international contributors and we thank prospective contributors for their patience and understanding, given the current situation that has made it difficult to keep this platform dedicated entirely and exclusively to contemporary culture, literature, art, writing, film and scholarship.
Feel free to scroll down to see each and every piece we published in one year since this initiative began. Each item opens in a new tab (best viewed on desktops/laptops).
Inverse Journal: A Basic Introduction — by Amjad Majid
In an attempt to develop conversations, dialogues, discussions and exchanges of ideas about contemporary culture from Kashmir to the world beyond the Himalayas, Inverse Journal…Read More
What I Lost When I Translated Jorge Luis Borges — by Andrew Hurley
In this thorough paper, Professor Andrew Hurley reflects on his widely acclaimed translation of Borges, detailing the multiple debates in academia that revolved around his…Read More
Towards a Home-grown Kashmiri Cinema – Part I — by Mirum Quazi
Mirum Quazi provides a few meditations on cinema, visual culture and the applications of the field in a Kashmiri context. In particular, he explores the…Read More
Inside the Cracks: A History of ‘Being’ in Kashmir — by Gowhar Yaqoob
In experimental prose, Gowhar Yaqoob invokes an indiscernible narrative voice reminiscent of the narrative style found in the earliest texts that reflect on the genesis…Read More
Yvette Borup Andrews: Photographing Central Asia — by Lydia Pyne
Although often overshadowed by the escapades of her more famous husband (said by some to be the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones), the photographs taken…Read More
Communitarianism: A Critical Appraisal — by Insha bint Bashir
In this academic paper, Insha bint Bashir summarizes the evolution of ideas and relevant scholarship around the concept of communitarianism, reviewing a wide variety of…Read More
Black on Black — by Eugene Thacker
Should we consider black a colour, the absence of colour, or a suspension of vision produced by a deprivation of light? Beginning with Robert Fludd’s…Read More
Memory, a Poem by Omair Bhat
In this poem, Omair Bhat explores the elusive nature of memory, envisioning it as a thing of two, the one who fights to remember and…Read More
Notes on a Road Trip — by Wasim Malik
In this fictional account that is far too close to reality, Wasim Malik relates the story of four young men from Pulwoam (South Kashmir) who…Read More
Matheson Russell, “Husserl: A Guide for the Perplexed” — by Matthew Boss
This book is one of a recent series of “Guides for the Perplexed” largely devoted to “Continental” philosophers (but also including guides to Wittgenstein and…Read More
Inventing the Recording — by Eva Moreda Rodríguez
Eva Moreda Rodríguez on the formative years of the recording industry, focusing on the culture surrounding the gabinetes fonográficos of fin-de-siècle Spain.
The Guest — by Majid Maqbool
Majid Maqbool recalls a night in the Kashmiri 90s when a band of unexpected visitors come knocking at the door. The account told from the…Read More
The Silence of Words: Four Poems by Lauren Scharhag
Lauren Scharhag presents four of her poems, each with a distinctive poetic voice, with verses that transmit silence and subjective experience in the first person.…Read More
Srinagar in Colors and Shades — by Mir Yasir Mukhtar
In this series of photographs, Mir Yasir Mukhtar diverts his lens to portray everyday life in Kashmir beyond the horrors that are captured by professionals…Read More
Massacres and Home: An Art Installation at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale — by Ahmed Muzamil
Ahmed Muzamil presents an introduction to his work exhibited at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2018). The young artist prepared an installation to commemorate the anniversary of…Read More
Dislocations: Five Prose Poems by Oz Hardwick
UK-based writer, photographer and occasional musician Oz Hardwick brings us five prose poems inspired by the theme of dislocation. These five pieces featured here reflect…Read More
Paseo: Poetry to Disarm a War — by Amjad Majid
The Spanish Civil War and its memorialization has become an institution unto itself in contemporary Spain. On a yearly basis, new films, novels, poems, texts…Read More
Archery in Ladakh: A Story Through Perspectives — by Murtaza Fazily
Murtaza Fazily visits his birthplace to meet young and senior archers, sports officials, bureaucrats, prominent cultural figures and residents to gather their perspective on archery…Read More
I Am Bipolar and It Is Not Fun, at All — by Khalid Fayaz
Khalid Fayaz opens up about being bipolar in an unapologetic manner, discussing his experience of suffering from the condition in this piece with candid confessions…Read More
Kashmir: An Elegy to the Memory of Rain — by Malik Aabid
Malik Aabid’s poem offers a profound meditation on the changing landscape of Kashmir with the advent of modernity and its consumerist ecosystem. These verses provide…Read More
POND: Five Poems by John L. Stanizzi
All the way from New England, poet and literature professor John L. Stanizzi brings us five poems from his ongoing book project entitled “POND.” The…Read More
California Dreaming: Gabriela Mistral’s Lucid Cold War Paranoia — by Elizabeth Horan
Abstract: "Gabriela Mistral’s boundary crossing strategized and anticipated multiple shifting dynamics during the early years of the Cold War. Border-crossings prove relevant to the method…Read More
The Prisons of Neelum Valley — by Majid Magray
In this short story, Majid Magray presents the small world of a boy from the Pakistani side of the Line of Control that divides India…Read More
Folding Grief: Four Poems by Ann Christine Tabaka
Through the simplicity of poetic language that conveys a complexity of unaddressed emotions, Ann Christine Tabaka brings us four poems centered on the theme of…Read More
Exhuming the Ideological Corpse of Soviet Socialism: Marat Raiymkulov — by Maya Kóvskaya
Art critic, curator and theorist Maya Kóvskaya presents the Pol Pot series of drawings by Kyrgyz contemporary artist Marat Raiymkulov, providing a broad perspective into…Read More
Five Poems by Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal
Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal brings us five poems, each with a theme and a message of their own. The five presented reflect (or reflect upon) a…Read More
Forgetting: A Poem by Muhammad Nadeem
A a poem by Muhammad Nadeem about the tragic unfolding of time that brings about forgetting and is symbolic of life in Kashmir. The creative…Read More
In Pursuit of a Nation: Conflicting Formulations of Nationalism in the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (1930 – 1940) — by Gowhar Yaqoob
Abstract: This paper explores the different constitutive elements of nationalist ideology in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in the twentieth century by placing…Read More
Being and Time: Two Poems and a Note by Dustin Pickering
Dustin Pickering brings us two poems inspired by his readings of Martin Heidegger's classic work "Being and Time." The poet has also provided a note…Read More
The Language of Islamophobia in Internet Articles — by Haja Mohideen and Shamimah Mohideen
In this paper originally published in 2008, Dr. Haja Mohideen (Associate Professor) and Shamimah Mohideen (Lecturer) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia evaluate the…Read More
A Nightmare: A Poem by Qaiser Bashir
Qaiser Bashir brings us a poem reminiscent of the style of 18th century Romantic English poetry. The poem entitled “A Nightmare” encapsulates a basic fear…Read More
Resisting Occupation: A Teach-in on Kashmir at The People’s Forum NYC
Professors Mohamad Junaid and Hafsa Kanjwal do a teach-in at The People's Forum NYC to give an introduction to Indian Occupied Kashmir while also providing…Read More
Professor Ather Zia on The Evolution of Resistance Politics in Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir
Professor Ather Zia converses with Shams Rehman of UK-based Jammu Kashmir TV in a livestream embedded herein from Facebook. The conversation is essential to understanding…Read More
Rereading Cortázar’s Hopscotch through Joyce’s Ulysses by Dr. Patricia Novillo-Corvalán
Introduction: "In 1968 a distinguished group of writers, critics, and translators organised a symposium in post-revolutionary Cuba in an attempt to assess the colossal impact…Read More
Paintings like Postcards in Solidarity from Across the LOC — by Iram Razzaq
UK-based artist Iram Razzaq, who was born and raised in Pakistan Administered Kashmir (Azad Kashmir), presents eleven of her paintings inspired by the 2010 uprising…Read More
Event: Gender in Southeast Asian Art Histories and Visual Cultures — Chulalongkorn University and University of Sydney
"Gender in Southeast Asian Art Histories and Visual Cultures Art, Design and Canon-making? A gathering of international researchers and creative practitioners This two-day symposium comprising…Read More
Book Review: David Devadas’ The Generation of Rage in Kashmir (Oxford University Press, 2018) — by Sohini Chatterjee
Sohini Chatterjee provides a thorough ‘reading as review’ of David Devadas’ recent book “The Generation of Rage in Kashmir” (Oxford University Press, 2018). The many…Read More
Of a Man on the Street, A Card Game and a Dog: Three Poems by Andrew Shields
Andrew Shields brings us three poems all the way from Basel, Switzerland. "Hearsay" contains within its unorthodox verses a meta and self-referential device that affirms…Read More
The Ruined History of Purig Restored in a Conversation — by Murtaza Fazily
In a quest to find himself within a greater history of his place of birth, Murtaza Fazily recounts his conversation with a renowned historian of…Read More
Patriarchy: A Sanctimonious Affair in Kashmir — by Aamir Aijaz
In this acquaintance piece, Aamir Aijaz presents the problem of patriarchy as it relates to theological (mis)interpretations by those who preach about social life and…Read More
Growing tulips: A Poem by Omair Bhat (in dialogue with artwork by Suhail Naqshbandi)
In the contemporary Kashmir of the artist and the poet, a counter-aesthetic has been developed to resist against the glamorous and synthetically beautified portrayal of…Read More
Walk On: A Letter to Young Kashmiris — by Majid Maqbool
Journalist, editor and writer Majid Maqbool addresses the youth of Kashmir in this timely letter about the multiple ways in which they can create their…Read More
Call to Submissions for Photographers: Kashmir – Paint the Day as Night
Inverse Journal invites photographers of all backgrounds to participate in a running series entitled “Kashmir: Paint the Day as Night” to present their black and…Read More
Review: William Orem’s “Our Purpose in Speaking” (MSU Press) — by Dustin Pickering
Dustin Pickering reviews “Our Purpose in Speaking” (MSU Press, 2018), the debut book of poems by Emerson College’s senior writer-in-residence William Orem, who recently won…Read More
Three Poems by Amirah Al Wassif from “For Those Who Don’t Know Chocolate”
Amirah Al Wassif from Egypt introduces three poems from her recently published collection “For Those Who Don’t Know Chocolate.” Amirah has published novels, short stories,…Read More
‘War Is Hell’: As Survivor of Conflict, Rep. Ilhan Omar Makes Impassioned Case Against US Attack on Iran
Addressing President Donald Trump directly, the Minnesota congresswoman said, "Do not listen to the warmongers and war profiteers whispering in your ear."
Ahmer drops ‘Elaan’ Music Video: A Kashmiri-Punjabi Hip Hop Alliance with Prabh Deep – Sez on the Beat – Azadi Records
Kashmiri Hip Hop artist Ahmer presents the music video for “Elaan,” the fourth track and first single from his debut “Little Kid, Big Dreams” album,…Read More
Documentary: Making Art In The World’s Most Militarised Region — by Journeyman Pictures
Journeyman Pictures presents an introductory documentary that collects the testimonials from a select group of Kashmiri artists who narrate the experience of producing art in…Read More
Professor Mona Bhan on Kashmir and India’s Revocation of Articles 370 and 35A (BBC World News) — The Polis Project
Professor Mona Bhan (Syracuse University) provides much needed perspective on India's revocation of Articles 370 and 35A, and what it entails for the future of…Read More
Kavita Krishnan on the Revocation of Articles 370 and 35A (Jantar Mantar Protest)
Secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) and member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML), Kavita Krishnan presents…Read More
Professor Ather Zia Speaks About Articles 370 and 35A on BBC World News
Professor Ather Zia provides her perspective on a special program by BBC World News covering the Indian government's abrupt and secretive decision to repeal Articles…Read More
A Petition by 200 Academics and Activists: “Kashmir needs global effort toward a just resolution”
Over 200 academics and activists say the besieged Kashmiri people urgently need international remedies for justice, not war.
Updated: Kashmiri Scholars and Members of the International Community Voice Dissent Over India’s Latest Siege on Kashmir
A significant number of Kashmiri scholars, journalists, writers, members of the diaspora and the international community have their say on India's revocation of Articles 370…Read More
The International Press Covers the Ongoing Indian Siege on Kashmir
The following is a Pinterest-like selection of videos, media and articles from the international press in its attempt to cover the ongoing siege of Kashmir…Read More
Professor Nitasha Kaul (University of Westminster) Speaks About Kashmir on BBC Newsnight and Euronews
Professor and writer Nitasha Kaul who teaches International Relations at University of Westminster recently spoke on BBC Newsnight and Euronews about the situation in Kashmir.…Read More
#TheKashmirSyllabus – A List of Sources for Teaching and Learning about Kashmir
Our readers have been asking about reading material to better understand what far too many Kashmiris have bitterly and desolately called The Forgotten Conflict. As…Read More
The US Calls India to Respect the Basic Human Rights of Kashmiris in a Transparent Manner
The US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, chaired by Congressman Adam Smith, made a press release of the call made by Congressman Smith to…Read More
Kashmir Conflict: Alarming Mental Health Consequences (2015) — by Nuzhat Firdous
This journal article by Nuzhat Firdous, published in The International Journal of Indian Psychology, is reproduced here via Creative Commons License. Abstract: "War damages the…Read More
Media Roundup: International Coverage of India’s Ongoing Siege on Kashmir — Day 23
Here is an editorial note and the media roundup on the ongoing siege on Kashmir, consisting of select video, press articles and reports from recognized…Read More
Day 26: Select Indian Press Coverage of the Siege on Kashmir
In the spirit of bibliographical citation and referencing, here are some of the main stories and media (aggregated in a visual format) from the Indian…Read More
Professor Nitasha Kaul On India’s Revocation of Articles 370 and 35A — Additional Media and Bibliography Included
Nitasha Kaul, Associate Professor in International Relations and Politics at University of Westminster, speaks in the global media about India's revocation of Articles 370 and…Read More
Amid Communications Blockade, Kashmiri Journalists Report via Alternative Indian and International Media
In the spirit of sharing knowledge, at Inverse Journal we have employed oEmbed technology that allows us to cite and reference news and media items…Read More
Ahmer Drops Timely Video for ‘Kasheer’ from His Debut Album ‘Little Kid, Big Dreams’ — Azadi Records — Sez on the Beat
There is far too much that can be written about, discussed and critiqued in Ahmer’s first album, but with the current enforced conditions that Kashmiris…Read More
Hand over your agency, Zooni — by Tabish Rafiq Mir
Tabish Rafiq Mir provides a prompt critical response and interpretation to the recent Raw Mango fashion campaign that undermined the current situation in Kashmir while…Read More
The Fear of Being Caged and Cut off from the Rest of the World — by Sheikh Saqib
Having graduated recently from the Summer Institute at the Iowa International Writers Workshop, young Sheikh Saqib summarizes his experience of the ongoing lock-down and media…Read More
Income Tax, Ramallah — An Essay Tale by Rela Mazali
A feminist activist from Israel revisits her partner's all but eye-witness account of a young Palestinian woman in occupied Ramallah who was forced to provide…Read More
You Have the Right to Remain Silent — by Sheikh Saqib
Sheikh Saqib arrives in New Delhi to work on his writing projects and communicate through the internet while making severe adjustments to continue with the…Read More
Imprisoned Kashmiri Journalist Receives International Press Freedom Award in Absentia
On October 17th, the American National Press Club held its annual Fourth Estate Gala in Washington, D.C. where imprisoned Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan was awarded…Read More
International Book Club Discusses the Now Classic ‘Until My Freedom Has Come’ (Penguin, 2011)
Hoda Khatebi converses with Sanjay Kak, editor of "Until My Freedom Has Come" (Penguin, 2011), contributor Mohamad Junaid and Professor Hafsa Kanjwal about the present…Read More
Professor Ather Zia on Articles 370/35A and the Ongoing Siege, Lockdown and Blackout Imposed on Kashmir
Here is a list of Professor Ather Zia's interventions in the global media regarding the Indian government's abrupt and secretive decision to repeal Articles 370…Read More
Write — A Poem by Omair Bhat
A poem by Omair Bhat for the times, that is for all the times where war, love, separation, longing, struggle, death, life and resilience have…Read More
Professor Angana Chatterji Testifies About Kashmir Before the United States Congress
On October 22, 2019, the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on human rights in South Asia with a special focus on…Read More
1984 Sikh Massacre: News Footage with Interviews and Testimonials — Media Compiled by Ensaaf
Recorded a few days after the 1984 Sikh massacre, here is media footage compiled by Ensaaf, "a nonprofit organization working to end impunity and achieve…Read More
Professor Hafsa Kanjwal on the Last 100 Days of Kashmir Under Siege
Professor Hafsa Kanjwal, who teaches South Asian history at Lafayette College and completed her doctorate specializing in contemporary Kashmiri history and women’s studies from the…Read More
Review of History of Armed Struggles in Kashmir by Rao Farman Ali — Inshah Malik
Professor Inshah Malik reviews Raio Farman Ali's "History of Armed Struggles in Kashmir" with an elaborate analysis and a brief yet detailed view of the…Read More
Protest and Police “Excesses” in Chile: The Limits of Social Accountability — by Michelle D. Bonner
In view of the recent protests in Chile, we bring you this essential reading, a chapter entitled 'Protest and Police “Excesses” in Chile: The Limits…Read More
Reading Discourses of Power and Violence in Emerging Kashmiri Literature in English: <em>The Collaborator</em> and <em>Curfewed Night</em> — by Amrita Ghosh
Abstract: This essay studies two literary texts on Kashmir, The Collaborator (2011) by Mirza Waheed and Curfewed Night (2010) by Basharat Peer and analyzes the…Read More
Silent Parade — A Poem by Heath Brougher
All the way from the White Rose City of Pennsylvania, Heath Brougher brings us this poem that drifts between transience and transcendence to awaken a…Read More
It’s Not Safe Outside — A Poem by Azhar Wani
Azhar Wani introduces a timely poem that takes a famous couplet known to every Kashmiri and inverts its meaning through the poetic verse. Such inversion…Read More
Kashmir: A Ghazal and Two Poems by Ashaq Hussain Parray
After a self-imposed suspension in our regular publication cycle, in solidarity with the silenced avenues of Kashmiri expression, Inverse Journal presents three timely poems by…Read More
No World Safe Enough — Three Poems by Glen Armstrong
All the way from the Great Lakes State, Glen Armstrong brings our readers three poems that dig deep into the quotidian to retrieve a depth…Read More
Book Review: The Poetics of Transgenerational Trauma (Meera Atkinson, Bloomsbury, 2017) — by Katie Lally
Via Creative Commons, here is Katie Lally's review of Meera Atkinson's "The Poetics of Transgenerational Trauma" (Bloomsbury, 2017).
Dear Shahid, — A Prose Poem by Agha Shahid Ali
Originally published in The Prose Poem: An International Journal (Volume 5) in 1996, here is Agha Shahid Ali's prose poem entitled "Dear Shahid,".
Unposted Narratives — Four Poems by Yashasvi Gaur
Yashasvi Gaur presents four of her poems under the title of “Unposted Narratives.” Each of the poems, although unique and specific, maintain a common thread…Read More
Documenting Faith: Physical Devotion in Werner Herzog’s <em>Pilgrimage</em> (2001) and <em>Wheel of Time</em> (2003) — by Chantal Poch
Abstract: To make visible the invisible has always been a key challenge to film. This paper will study how German director Werner Herzog, a regular…Read More
Ibn Khaldun’s <em>The Muqadimmah</em> — Shuddhabrata Sengupta in Conversation with Jocelyne Dakhlia and Justin Stearns
A discussion on the importance of Ibn Khaldun's "The Muqadimmah" moderated by artist/curator/writer Shuddhabrata Sengupta in conversation with Jocelyne Dakhlia (Professor, L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes…Read More
No Single Answer for Loss — Three Poems by Clara Burghelea
Romanian-born poet Clara Burghelea presents three poems that “speak of identity and how loss reshapes and maps out the body.” “The Clarian Realm,” “My Daddy,”…Read More
The Art and Politics of Ecology in India: A Roundtable with Ravi Agarwal and Sanjay Kak — by TJ Demos
Writer and professor, T.J. Demos, converses with contemporary artist and environmental activist Ravi Agarwal and documentary filmmaker and writer Sanjay Kak. Abstract: "This roundtable discussion…Read More
Student Protests. Three Periods of University Governance — by Joan Ramon Rodriguez-Amat and Bob Jeffery
Exploring the idea of student protests as an autonomous object of research and discussion, this paper leads to the understanding that the transforming role of…Read More
Orientalism, Kashmir and Islam — by Arsilan Aziz
Through a brief yet meticulous study of Kashmiri history, particularly grounded in the different dealings that outsiders have had with a Kashmiri population, Arsilan Aziz…Read More
Christmas Eve — A Poem by Lauren Scharhag
The ritualistic habituation of a holiday celebrated around the world is broken and disrupted in order to revive its significance in this poem by Lauren…Read More
Marx and Feminism — by Silvia Federici
This contribution focuses on aspects of feminism and gender in Marx’s theory. Marx’s methodology has given us the tools and the categories enabling us to…Read More
With So Much Silence — Two Poems by Michael Akuchie
Young Nigerian poet Michael Akuchie presents two of his poems. "Interrogation With a Note About Identity" explores the inaccessibility that can be felt with the…Read More
Unwoven Dreams: A Conversation with a Pashmina Salesman — Audio Interview by Anushka Sharma and Text by Vipassana Wahib Gautam
A young Indian woman, Anushka Sharma, under the guidance of her friend, Bhargavi Deshpande, decides upon chance to interview a Pashmina salesman, Sohail, who has…Read More
Verses of Lament and Dissent — First Issue
This special issue entitled “Verses of Lament and Dissent” brings together the first batch of poetry by eight poets from multiple cultures, from Kashmir to…Read More
Event: VATAPI By Vishal K. Dar & Poppy Seed Lab at Black Box Okhla
From January 30 to February 4, 12 audience members enter every 30 minutes to experience a site-specific field of sculpture, sound and oscillation. Inspired by…Read More
Ode to a Concrete Shoe Statue — A Poem by Dustin Pickering
Poet, writer and editor Dustin Pickering presents his poem "Ode to a Concrete Shoe Statue."
The Wild Goat — A Short Story by Majid Magray
All the way from Karnah, from the area of Kashmir that borders with Pakistan, Majid Magray brings this true-to-life fictional tale of the hunt for…Read More