Mandeep Bhalru

Resisting the Silence: Exploring Memories of the 1947 Partition of India Through the Voices of Second Generation Punjabi Women Mandeep Bhalru

In 1947, India was partioned into two countries, resulting in devastating violence nationwide. Within a span of months, twelve million people were displaced as they were forced to migrate to India or Pakistan according to religious identity. The trauma and communal violence that followed transpired on the bodies of women; research exploring the intergenerational effects of Partitioned is sparse, particularly in the Diaspora. Similarly, literature that explores second-generation South Asian's women experiences growing up in Canada has yet to connect historical memories of the Partition with this generation. This research explores the experiences of seven, second-generation Punjabi women raised in Canada to families that were impacted by the Partition of India, delving into themes of honour and everyday resistance in their lives.