This volume offers an insightful and compelling exploration of the complex dynamics that define governance, identity and power in India’s Northeast. It challenges conventional post-colonial narratives by asserting that the departure of colonial rulers did not precipitate a clean break but instead initiated intricate continuities that continue to shape the region’s societal structures. It puts forward the concept of ‘postcolonial hinterlands’, a nuanced framework for understanding spaces an...

This book focuses on issues of governance and the nature and complexities of social transformation in India’s Northeast -- a ‘problem’ zone for policymakers -- particularly since the early 1990s. While governance is the thread that runs through the volume, the latter at one level addresses the challenges of governing in global times a region historically marked by acute violence, interethnic conflict and insurgency; and at another, traces macro changes in the very forms and technologies of...

This book explores contesting identities, international politics, migration and democratic practices in the context of globalizing India. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research, it looks at one of the oldest migratory routes across a volatile region in eastern India which is fraught with violent claims of separate statehood.The book offers an account of how the ‘North Bengal’ region has acted as a gateway to migrant populations over time and points to why it must be understood ...

The world seems to have recently discovered India and China as major players in Asia, and political and economic connections between the two countries are rapidly growing. Beyond the fashionable phenomenon, the two countries have much in common and many shared experiences. Both are developing countries with dynamic economies focused on lifting their people out of poverty. There are also differences as well, as India is a democracy while China is an autocratic state, and the speed of econom...

This book examines the making of the Goddess Durga both as an art and as part of the intangible heritage of Bengal. As the ‘original site of production’ of unbaked clay idols of the Hindu Goddess Durga and other Gods and Goddesses, Kumartuli remains at the centre of such art and heritage. The art and heritage of Kumartuli have been facing challenges in a rapidly globalizing world that demands constant redefinition of ‘art’ with the invasion of market forces and migration of idol makers. As...