Abstract
Northeast India, a region of multi-ethnic communities where each community represents distinct sociocultural ethos and life-world, also suffer from relative deprivation. Each community thus strives for sociocultural, political and economic space to overcome marginalisation and isolation. In a multi-ethnic setup, it is quite natural for different communities aspiring to occupy sociopolitical space and try to gain better access to economic resources. This often results in collective articulation of interests and needs, thus leading to ethnic assertion and identity. The book under review addresses the issues relating to autonomy, self-determination and sovereignty in the context of Northeast India particularly in three states, such as Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. Pointing out the complex nature of the problem and the diverse perceptions that exist on the understanding of the nature and dynamics of the notion of autonomy, the book advocates that there is indeed a need to reconceptualise and re-examine these issues to develop a comprehensive understanding on peace and development in the region. Drawing insights from secondary sources as well as from empirical data collected from these three states, the efforts have been made to assess the prevailing situations and develop an integrative approach to address these issues. The book consists of six chapters addressing conceptual methodological and thematic issues.
In Chapter I, authors discuss conceptual issues relating to the notion of autonomy, self-rule and sovereignty and present historical trajectory of these concepts. They explain how historical experiences have shaped the perceptions, issues and aspirations of the people of the Northeast India. The study has taken into cognizance the importance of diverse perceptions, viewpoints to examine the problem and hence collected data from different sources and multiple respondents. The methodology adopted for the study has been presented in Chapter II where various methodological aspects, such as objective, rationale, respondents, techniques of data collection and limitations, of the study have been spelt out.
Based on empirical data, Chapter III discusses various aspects and parameters of self-rule and points out prevailing ambiguities on the very understanding of the notions of self-rule and autonomy. It analyses how these have been perceived by the leaders as well as by the people. By bringing diverse aspects into the ambit of analysis, the authors have analysed varied aspects, such as governance, power, etc.
Chapter IV discusses diverse contours of identity assertion among communities and analyses the reasons and rationale behind the persistent conflicts. Stressing on the need for sustained solutions, various attributes, such as political, developmental and aspiration manifested in social, cultural, political and economic spheres, have been analysed. Responses have been sought on the present power structure, future aspirations and probable causes of discontent. The study observed how the political ‘domination-dependency syndrome’ is extended to the economy, social and cultural arenas too. Pointing out the differing views and perceptions on autonomy among multiple stakeholders, it stresses on need to perceive this problem in totality by taking political, economic, social and cultural components into account which would not only help to overcome inherent constraints that come on the way of peace process but also help to find out lasting solution to the ensuing problem.
Chapter V discusses the core issues that contribute towards ethnic assertion and community identity. It analyses aspirations and discontent of various ethnic communities which stem from land alienation, distinct sociocultural values and the levels of awareness. The nature and dynamics of inter-community relations have been analysed by discerning the views and perceptions from multiple stakeholders. Diverse issues such as power framework, border disputes (between states, communities and village borders), control over resources, developmental issues and priorities such as Look East Policy, participation of women have been examined. It discusses the importance of community power, which could be an integrative social force in the society.
Chapter VI presents the possible way out for the inescapable problems that hamper the peace and tranquillity of the region by taking historical, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity aspects of the region into purview of its analysis. The study emphasises that people-centric dialogue and a transparent approach need to be adopted which would take cultural values, customary practices, ethnic sensitivity, developmental priority and human rights into cognizance. This, in turn, could offer a creative space to work towards an alternative strategy and approach for a sustained and enduring solution.
The study of this nature that attempts to examine the issues relating to autonomy, self-determination by congregating diverse ideas and perceptions is always challenging and demands a systematic approach, conceptual clarity and methodological acumen. The present study though has explained the continuum, that is, autonomy, self-determination and sovereignty and provided insights to understand this complex problem, the authors should have brought in more analytical rigour on the ‘domination-dependency syndrome’ while they interpreted empirical data. Though the study to a great extent has been able to integrate the diverse views and perceptions on varied aspects of autonomy, it could have provided more detailed explanation and rigorous analysis on the perceptions of diverse stakeholders by giving more meaning to the empirical data to make the study more coherent.