Who Is Saiba Varma? Author's Book On Kashmir Stirs Controversy

Who is Saiba Varma: Indian anthropologist Saiba Varma's book The Occupied Clinic: Militarism and Care in Kashmir is caught in controversy over the identity of her father, who is reportedly an ex-officer of the country's intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). There is wide furore over Varma allegedly not declaring her antecedents.

The book publishers, Yoda Press, in a statement issued Wednesday said Varma "simply never disclosed" the particular fact about her father serving with the agency in Kashmir in the 1990s. "It is our belief that accountability and positionality are crucial for authors and publishers alike," the Press continues, emphasising the need for "disclosure and ethical praxis" in the works they publish.

They say they have decided to put further publication of the South Asia edition of Varma's book on hold until more information is disclosed.

The Occupied Clinic, as per the Duke University Press, contextualises health, violence and militarism in Kashmir through an anthropological lens, looking at mental health issues like anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that civilians face in the conflict zone.

Know Who Is Saiba Varma And Why Her Book Is At The Centre Of Debate

Saiba Varma holds a PhD in Anthropology from Cornell University and currently serves as an Associate Professor of anthropology at University California San Diego, with a lot of her work focused on research around Kashmir and South Asian regions. Her primary expertise forms the premise of her latest book that is under fire by some sections.

The concerns of her work, as mentioned on a profile on UC San Diego's website, "emerge directly from more than a decade of sustained ethnographic engagement with psychiatric, humanitarian and military interventions in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the site of the world’s longest-running conflict."

A Twitter thread, posted anonymously on September 14, is behind the dispute over Varma's book. @Settler_Scholarship alleges Varma's father "held sensitive assignments in Kashmir" and has "links to defense/intelligence institutions that are responsible for killing Kashmiri Muslims."

(8/n) RAW is India's top counter-terrorism agency. It oversees India's intelligence & surveillance operations in Kashmir. RAW spy networks have traumatised generations of Kashmiris.

— Settler_Scholarship (@Settler_Scholar) September 14, 2021

The internet is divided over the book with some claiming that full disclosure from her constitutes the ethical obligations of an author, while some speaking in support of her say her father's life should not be viewed in terms of Varma's independent identity.

Yoda Press' Arpita Das tweeted she was "depressed" over the incident and that it "puts all work in question." As told to The Print, some RAW officials say it was "unnecessary" for Varma to have made a disclosure about her antecedents.

What is Varma saying? 

In a Twitter thread of her own, Varma responded to the backlash saying she was ten years old when her father was posted in Kashmir and that he "had no direct bearing" on her research. She claims she disclosed her familial identity during her fieldwork to Kashmiri figures she "was close to."

"I do acknowledge my positionality: I am writing in solidarity, not to speak “for” or appropriate the voices of people in Kashmir."

My father had no direct bearing on the research I’ve done. Recognizing the need to acknowledge this relationship, however, during my fieldwork I disclosed it to Kashmiri scholars and journalists I was close to. My ethical practices and scholarly arguments are accountable to them.

— SaibaSpace (@SaibaVarma) September 18, 2021

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