The chapter lays the historical and theoretical foundations of the political cartoons in Kashmir. It attempts to locate the role and nature of political humor within the socio-political setting of the region. This contextualization is essential considering the unique geo-political position Kashmir finds itself in. The chapter moves forward by underpinning the key theoretical frameworks of Humor, Semiotics and Rhetoric through which political cartoons in the region will be analyzed. This forms the foundational chapter for the book, as it sets the lens through which the multidisciplinary nature of this genre will be addressed.