Kashmiri Females Facing Uncertainty in Farah Bashir’s Rumours of Spring

This paper explores how and to what effect uncertainty is communicated in the Kash- miri memoir Rumours of Spring by Farah Bashir. The research is part of an ongoing project that shares the perspective of a group of academics from South Asia and Mexico on gender, borderlands, discrimination, sexuality and violence through the work of female writers from both regions. The framework for this research is inspired by Van der Bles et al. (2019) adaptation of Lasswell’s classic model of communication for studying epistemic uncertainty. Although their research questions were appropriate for our purposes, their parameters were not always applicable or sufficient. It was necessary to highlight how Bashir’s competence for identifying, internalizing and de- picting corporal reactions through sensorial and psychological images paint a vivid dramatic picture of the presence and consequences of trauma and uncertainty, often focusing on dynamic actions with kinetic relevance. This approach humanizes all the consequences of uncertainty and enhances an emotional reception. Data concerning significant behavioral changes reinforce the devastating trauma. Frequently Bashir’s work produced both compassion and empathy from readers as expressed in reviews on the digital platforms analyzed. However, her subjective style produced a few nega- tive commentaries from those who presumably did not share her personal perspective suggesting this style is perhaps not the adequate vehicle for communicating to critics.