Description
The paper explores the use of graffiti, slogans, engravings on the hills and poetry on the graves to understand firstly, how emotions like pride, sacrifice, grief and pain are manipulated – both by the state and non-state actors in a conflict situation. The politics of emotions not only helps in mobilizing people, but also serves as a significant medium through which certain ideas are circulated, reproduced and in turn become norms of behaviour. Second, and more importantly, the paper attempts to unfold the gendered nature of these emotions projected through the visual representations. How the grieving mother image in Kashmir, for instance, becomes an important symbol of resistance or a slogan on the army camp such as ‘Get them by their balls, their hearts and minds will follow’ arouses aggression and helps in justifying revenge politics. Such imageries and visuals also reinforce gender constructs and identities in a conflict. For successfully sustaining conflicts, the gender division of the so called feminine and masculine emotions is carefully carried out. The paper, thus attempts to unfold the nuances and complexities involved in the study of emotions, gender and their visual representations in conflict and resistance movements.
