ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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Dehing Patkai National Park

Assam witnessed an unprecedented social media protest in the mid-2020 for the protection of the Dehing Patkai rainforest located in the eastern part of the state. This green movement was centred on the issue of legitimising illegal coal mining in the rainforest by the National Board for Wildlife during the nationwide lockdown. Tracing the journey of the national park, the present article argues that the controversy reflects the contradiction between the metropolitan and indigenous version of ecological nationalism. The latter, though instrumental for mass mobilisation in environmental movements, does not occupy adequate space in the electoral politics.

Flood, Displacement and Politics: The Assam Chapter

Floods and river bank erosion is a deadly menace for millions of people, specifically for the marginalised population in Assam. Assam can only progress by solving the perennial flood problem of the state. This paper shows how the natural disaster and the resultant internal displacements of people have been used to fan the exclusionary politics of citizenship in Assam.

The More-than-human Brahmaputra

The Unquiet River: A Biography of the Brahmaputra by Arupjyoti Saikia, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2019; pp xxxv + 583, `1,195 (hardcover).

Exploitation in Small Tea Gardens of Assam

The emergence of small tea growers is a relatively new phenomenon in Assam. Owners of small land plots mainly located in the eastern part of the state have taken to small tea cultivation in a big way in the last three–four decades. The nature of production of the sector is informal. The unemployed youth and farmers of other unprofitable crops, who have taken to small-scale tea cultivation, are likely to be exploited by agents and owners of tea factories who buy raw tea leaves. Primary survey data are collected from five districts of eastern and central Assam to investigate the monopsonistic exploitation of small tea growers by tea leaf buyers.

A Historical Understanding of Assam's Floods

In the case of the Assam floods, one must accept that flood is predetermined, which has always already occurred. The Indian government must acknowledge its 'failure' to understand the river's rhythm by recognising the flood as a 'national disaster'. The government's need to own such failure suggests that it is only in failing that we establish a new possibility.

Tantalisingly Intertwined and Complex

The Eastern Gate: War and Peace in Nagaland, Manipur and India’s Far East by Sudeep Chakravarti, Simon and Schuster India, 2022; pp 399, `899.

Religious Polarisation Outweighs Ethnic Mobilisation

The Assam assembly elections continued the trend towards deepening of religious polarisation in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s alliance strategy helped in retaining its hold over the ethnic base that had shifted to the party in 2016.

Revaluing Unpaid Work

The 2021 state assembly elections offered a unique and unexpected opportunity for the recognition of women’s unpaid domestic and care work through the promises of unconditional cash transfers. These cash transfers present feminists with a valuable opportunity to theorise the welfare state. This article uses primary data and in-depth interviews to evaluate one such scheme, namely the Orunodoi scheme in Assam.

Interstate Border Disputes in North East India

The recent clashes between Assam and Mizoram have invited academic discussions on the issue of the border dispute between the two north-eastern states. The article tries to understand the root of the conflict and proceeds to point out the stands of respective governments on the border dispute. It also discusses on the probable mechanisms or the ways out for the settlement of the border dispute between these two states.

 

Women’s Livelihood (In)security in Neo-liberal Context

The construction of India’s welfare image has undergone significant changes in the neo-liberal context, and the livelihood dialogue has reoriented itself in this new politico-economic perspective. The authors have felt the need to look into the issue of women’s livelihood (in)security in an emerging neo-liberal scenario with reference to a significant livelihood programme named Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission. The aim of the paper is to understand objectively the potential and role of DAY-NRLM in ensuring women’s livelihood security in the neo-liberal context. The empirical study is conducted in Biswanath district of Assam with the help of focus group interview and semi-structured interview schedule.

 

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