1st Edition
Identity, Contestation and Development in Northeast India
India’s Northeast has long been riven by protracted armed conflicts for secession and movements for other forms of autonomy. This book shows how the conflicts in the region have gradually shifted towards inter-ethnic feuds, rendered more vicious by the ongoing multiplication of ethnicities in an already heterogeneous region. It further traces the intricate contours of the conflicts and the attempts of the dominant groups to establish their hegemonies against the consent of the smaller groups, as well as questions the efficacy of the state’s interventions. The volume also engages with the recurrent demands for political autonomy, and the resultant conundrum that hobbles the region’s economic and political development processes.
Lucid, topical and thorough in analysis, this book will be useful to scholars and researchers in political science, sociology, development studies and peace & conflict studies, particularly those concerned with Northeast India.
List of Tables. List of Figures. List of Contributors. Foreword. Preface. Introduction Part I. Institution, Resources and Development 1. Ethnicisation of Space- Development Consequence and Political Response in Northeast India Rakhee Bhattacharya 2. Beyond Ethnicity: Development and Reconciliation Uddipana Goswami 3. Self-management and Development Institutions of Northeast India J. J. Roy Burman 4. Vicious Circle of Insurgency and Underdevelopment in Northeast India P.R. Bhattacharjee and Purusottam Nayak 5. Politics of Peace Accords in Northeast India Komol Singha and M. Amarjeet Singh 6. Forest Conservation and Community Land Rights in Manipur Hoineilhing Sitlhou Part II. Ethnicity, Identity and Belonging 7. Identity, Deprivation and Demand for Bifurcation of Meghalaya Purusottam Nayak and Komol Singha 8. Identity Politics, Conflict and Development among the Mizos in Mizoram Lalrintluanga 9. Identity, Conflict and Development: A Study of Borok Community in Tripura Mohan Debbarma 10. Oral Narratives and Identity Discourse in Arunachal Pradesh Sarit Kumar Chaudhuri 11. Identity, Conflict and Development in Nagaland Kilangla B. Jamir 12. A Nation’s Begotten Child: Arunachal Pradesh in India’s Troubled Northeast Tajen Dabi 13. Democracy and Ethnic Politics in Sikkim M. Amarjeet Singh and Komol Singha 14. Ethnic Assertion in Manipur: Reflection on Electoral Integrity and Governance L. Muhindro Singh Annexures Index
Biography
Komol Singha is Associate Professor of Economics at Sikkim University, Gangtok, India, and holds a doctoral degree in development economics. His research areas are institutional economics, social capital, political economy, rural development and development issues related to Northeast India.
M. Amarjeet Singh is Associate Professor of Sociology at the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His research and teaching focus on conflict studies, ethnicity, identity politics and migration studies.
‘The fourteen insightful chapters by scholars from anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, political science and sociology focus on a wide-ranging debate on ethnicity, identity, conflict and development of the north-eastern part of India. Students, scholars and policymakers dealing with India’s Northeast will find this book useful.’ — T. B. Subba, Professor and Vice-Chancellor, Sikkim University
‘The book . . . engag[es] with some of the major socio-political issues in Northeast India. Ethnic identity narratives, territoriality and contestations, governance challenges, among others have been brought under one rubric for discussion. These essays would certainly generate further debates and help shaping a better understanding of the region.’ — Bhagat Oinam, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
‘A refreshingly new take on the connection between insurgency and development by a group of young scholars beyond the otherwise clichéd script of ethnicity and identity politics . . . [A] must-read for those who think that understanding India’s Northeast . . . has something to contribute to the larger social science repertoire.’ — Samir Kumar Das, Professor and Dean of Arts, University of Calcutta
