Pieces of Earth ― The Politics of Land-grabbing in Kashmir

This book is about the politics surrounding land grabbing for developmental projects by corporate led establishments such as the Indian National Hydroelectric Power Corporation in Kashmir. Kashmir, the author argues, has had a long past of political conflict with the Indian state, therefore the question of land grabbing gains immense importance for the future of resource and territorial conflicts in South Asia. The book traces the history of land tenure changes with changing political regimes in Kashmir to assess its impact on the peasant population. It focuses on the narratives of the state, the corporates, the elites, and absentee landlords which help facilitate land and resource grabbing in the state. The work also documents and analyses the multiple motivations of different actors that either support or resist such development related land grabbing. Combining the literature in violence and development and dispossession studies, the author addresses the socio-political conflict in land and resource grabbing in conflict zones.

Peer Ghulam Nabi Suhail is Director, Centre for Research and Development Policy, Srinagar