Managing Punjab: A Discourse Analysis of the Management of the Punjab Conflict

This article looks at the process of legitimisation and delegitimisation of policies by the Indian state during the conflict in Punjab. By upholding a particular representation of the Punjab conflict, the Indian state legitimised its primarily security-centric policies. The article analyses the disc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Irish studies in international affairs 2015, Vol.26, p.53-65
Main Author: Priyanka Talwar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed conflict
CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN SOUTH ASIA
Government
Government officials
Political conflict
Political extremism
Secessionism
Sikhism
State government
Terrorism
Violent extremism
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Summary:This article looks at the process of legitimisation and delegitimisation of policies by the Indian state during the conflict in Punjab. By upholding a particular representation of the Punjab conflict, the Indian state legitimised its primarily security-centric policies. The article analyses the discourses of the Indian government during the 1980s up until the early 1990s to show how one of the deadliest conflicts confronting the Indian state was perceived and ultimately ‘resolved’. It first looks at the framing of the conflict and how various policy measures were debated and legitimised. It then shows how the conflict was managed rather than resolved, in turn bearing ramifications for how ‘peace’ and ‘normalcy’ are understood by the Indian state.
ISSN:0332-1460
2009-0072
DOI:10.3318/ISIA.2015.26.15