PhD Theses (Humanities and Social Sciences)

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(A) Philosophical Exploration of the Goddess as Role Model for Women with Special Reference to The Great Goddess and Her Various Representations in the Text and Some of its Contexts
(2021) Kalita, Sunu
The present research work examines some of the various representations of women seen through the lens of Vedic literature, mythology, and even contemporary writings in this significant research area. This background literature has helped immensely to reflect the current scenario and the changing status of women in the present period up to the modern day and the roles women have to play as per society’s requirements and their ability to adapt. It attempts to systematically study different role models that women are expected to play within social setups in Indian Hindu society. It addresses matters faced by different women who keep looking for role model in these chronological phases from goddess till modern woman Until modern social upgradation can harmoniously blend tradition with modernity. Generally, Hindu scriptures and mythology are full of gods and goddesses who are held in high esteem to be suitable as role models. Such divine role models are usually mythological figures from whom others can acquire divine virtues and imbibe some such virtues in them; then, an ordinary individual in life can be socially accepted also as goddess-like. One thus tries to establish a connection between the divine and the human in a very natural way. Thus, it is expected that every one of us can transform our lifestyle. These possible role variations need to be awakened so that our inner qualities can be brought into action by adopting the attributes of the role models
(A) Risk and Protective Factors Framework for Indian Army Soldier’s Subjective and Psychological Well-being
(2021) Kashyap, Shivali
Army is a difficult profession which demands a great deal of physical, moral and mental strength of a person. They experience frequent and diverse occupational stressors such as separation from family members, adverse climatic conditions, isolation, unknown enemy in counter insurgency areas, uncertainty of life, difficult living conditions, fatigue, lack of control at work, role conflict and so on. Apart from these, stress can precipitate psychiatric illnesses like depression, anxiety, insanity, and alcohol and drug abuse. These stressors may adversely affect the well-being (both subjective and psychological well-being) of soldiers. However, a negligible amount of empirical research addressing occupational stress and well-being of Indian Army soldiers is available. Therefore, this thesis aimed to explore following objectives- (1) To develop and validate a scale to measure occupational stress among soldiers of Indian Army. (2) To identify and explore the role of significant risk and protective factors in the well-being of soldiers (3) To understand the interaction effects of both risk and protective factors in influencing the well-being of soldiers Risk factors included in the study are social isolation, occupational stress and death anxiety. Protective factors included are personality, resilience, leadership and group cohesion. Two studies were planned to address these objectives. Study 1 aimed at development and validation of occupational Stress Scale for soldiers (OSSS) to identify major occupational stressors experienced by soldiers. Study 2 aimed at understanding how risk and protective factors independently as well as interact to influence subjective and psychological well-being. As an outcome of study 1, occupational Stress Scale for soldiers was developed with 37 items and four factors namely, job related stressors, individual/personal stressors, administrative stressors and group/team stressors. The scale showed acceptable reliability and validity measures. In the study 2, path analysis was conducted to explore the role of risk and protective factors on subjective and psychological well-being. Results revealed significant risk and protective factors of soldier’s subjective and psychological well-being. Among the risk factors, death anxiety negatively predicted subjective well-being (SWB). However, death anxiety positively predicted overall psychological well-being (PWB). Among the occupational stress dimensions, only group stressors predicted significantly (negatively) both the subjective and psychological well-being dimensions. Job related and individual stressors significantly (negatively) predicted only psychological well-being. However, administrative stressors significantly (negatively) predicted only subjective well-being. Similarly, social isolation significantly (negatively) predicted both the subjective and psychological well-being dimensions. The analysis of the protective factors model showed that among the personality factors, only Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to experience and Emotional stability significantly (positively) predicted PWB. However, Conscientiousness also significantly (positively) predicted SWB. The personality dimension of Extroversion negatively predicted SWB. In terms of Group cohesiveness, a group climate that is engaging has been found to be very highly significantly and positively predictive of both SWB and PWB. Avoidance of certain group members also significantly and a positively predicted SWB. A conflicting group climate on the other hand, very significantly (negatively) predicted PWB. Leadership (quality of leader-follower relationship) and resilience significantly predicted (positively) SWB. The analysis of the interaction or moderator factors model revealed the presence of four significant relationships which are: 1. Group engagement reduces the negative impact of social isolation on SWB. 2. Resilience reduces the negative impact of death anxiety on SWB. 3. Leadership helps to reduce the negative effect of death anxiety on SWB. 4. Engaging in a group reduces the negative impact of occupational stress on SWB.
(A) Study of Changing Female Labour Force Participation in India with a Special Focus on Assam
(2022) Boruah, Chayanika
In India, since the 1970s, there has been a declining trend in the female labour force participation. Given the fast economic growth, declining fertility rate and rising women’s educational enrolment in the last few decades, this decline is puzzling. Assam is not an exception to this trend of declining female LFPR (labour force participation rate). This study is an attempt to analyse the patterns and determinants of female LFPR in India as well as in Assam. The thesis reviews various existing theoretical frameworks on female LFPR. Based on the empirical findings from available literatures probable determinants of female LFPR have been identified. Data analysis on 15 Indian states covering the time period from 1987—2012 has been conducted. Secondary data from various large sample rounds of Employment Unemployment Survey of the NSSO have been used along with some other data from different sources. Our Random Effect regression model shows that more the ―literates‖ females, lower will be the FLFPR in a state. High fertility is associated with low FLFPR both in rural and urban areas of a state. It has been found that in a state higher rural male unemployment is associated with women withdrawing themselves from labour markets. It may be the case that, as explained by discouraged worker effect, with lower jobs in the market, females are discouraged to continue their job search. The unemployed women could be withdrawing from the labour market.
(A) Study of Cue Characteristics on Prospective Memory : Exploring the Role of Sleep
(2015) Singh, Tulika
Memories are central to most cognitive processes in humans. Memories are either retrospective (Past information) or Prospective (future intentions) in origin...
Agricultural production in Assam in the recent decades : An empirical study of select crops in two districts of western Assam
(2018) Saud, Hemanta Kumar
Agriculture contributes substantially to the output and employment of a predominantly agricultural and over-populated country like India. Although, Indian agriculture provides food for a large section of World population and occupies first or second ranks in the production of different crops, productivity levels are much lower as compared to many countries. Use of modern inputs in Indian agriculture is comparatively lower than the developed countries and it is highly skewed among the regions in India. Compound annual growth rate of production of major crops decreased during the period 1990-91 to 2010-11 compared to its earlier two decades. Steadily declining size of agricultural holdings is a key fact about the evolution of Indian agriculture. Indian agriculture is dominated by the marginal and small farmers in terms of both numbers and operated area. The debates on inverse farm size-productivity relationship have been alive as well. Agriculture forms the backbone of Assam’s economy. Over 70 percent population of Assam gets their means of livelihood from the agriculture. Agriculture and allied sector contributed more than 20 percent to the State Domestic Product during 2014-15. But the productivity of agricultural crops is comparatively lower than the national average (except for a few crops). Growth of agricultural production and the indices of agriculture in the state are lower than the all India level.
(An) Evaluation of Electronic Wage Transfer under MGNREGA in the Barak Valley Region of Assam
(2022) Pandit, Harish Chandra
India's most ambitious rural employment programme – the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) – is close to two decades now. In the most recent times, conflicting reports have emerged on two counts. One shows that the programme has not made many dents in poverty despite a legal entitlement framework. The non-revision of minimum wage payments, delay in wage payments, and massive corruption are some reasons for its non-performance. Another form of reporting led by the Digital India campaigns of the present government shows that the electronic payment system initiated under the MGNREGA has resulted in indirect benefits to the beneficiaries under the scheme, thereby fulfilling the primary objective of timely wage payments and the secondary aim of financial inclusion. New technologies can control corruption and enhance operational efficiency by shortening payment delays, automatically providing for unemployment allowances, and improving communication with beneficiaries. However, we reiterate that technology alone will not help.
(An) Exploration of Subjectivity in the Phenomenology of Edmund Husserl : From Epistemic Subject to Ethical Person
(2016) Das, Minakshi
The study makes an attempt to explore Husserlian probe for subjectivity from various perspectives. Unlike the pre-phenomenological philosophers Husserl tries to give a very different exploration of subjectivity by discovering the objectivity of the objects and its necessary connection with the meaningful realm of the subjectivity. Husserl’s significance lies on the fact that he always keeps room for the value aspect in all of his explanations by concentrating on consciousness. According to Husserl, in the process of attaining knowledge the contribution of both consciousness and objectivity are equally needed. In Husserlian phenomenology knowledge is a collection of feeling, thinking and willing by taking into consideration the subjective as well as the objective aspect. It is a process where objectivity is constituted but in constituting the objectivity the self constitutes itself by keeping scope for the subjectivity to re-construct itself in its future orientation. In order to purify consciousness his search for subjectivity then took a transcendental turn which he explained with the help of his methods for phenomenology. This transcendental subjectivity which is not like a windowless monad finally got connected with other subjects and constitutes the transcendental intersubjectivity. Here the others are also subjects like the self and equal members of the society living in a primordial world which he referred as the life-world. Husserlian phenomenology particularly the later phase of his development centered round his devastating experience of the first World-War and therefore, he grounded his phenomenology on the life-world which is a shared, public, intersubjective world. For him, because of the theorizing nature of the modern objective sciences now we have been living in an alienated world which is technologically very advanced and as a result gradually our life-world has been disappeared from us. Thus, the study finally tries to explore the significance of the life-world by giving the responsibility to human being by emphasizing upon the ethical renewal of humanity. In this connection an attempt is also made to bring Freudian psycho-analysis into the picture, both in terms of theoretical and practical perspectives.
Analysis of Food Demand in Assam: Evidence and Application from Primary and Secondary Data
(2021) Chowdhury, Bandana
The thesis addresses the issues related to food demand estimation for the Indian state of Assam through exploiting both official (NSSO) as well as survey data. Motivation for taking up this research is twofold. First, although there are many types of research related to pan India level concerning computations of various demand elasticities, studies that are based on a single region or a state are somewhat rarer. Such pan-Indian studies do not do justice to the diversities that are natural to a country like India. Thus, there is a motivation for such studies from a positive frame of analysis. Second, such elasticity measures directly contribute to understanding and implementation of various policies, e.g., tax policy in particular and food policy in general. It is our contention that in a country like India, a “one size-fits-all” type of policy may miss its welfare targets altogether. And hence, in order to implement a differential regional policy (or policies), we need to understand regional demand patterns. Hence the research objective also has a normative dimension. A brief outline of the thesis has been provided here. First, a broad range of literature is reviewed to understand the issues involved both at the national and international levels. This nontechnicalsurvey allows us to identify the gaps in the present state of knowledge and provides the motivation for the current endeavour. Second, we reviewed the technical methodology of demand estimation and its applications, particularly to tax subsidy issues. These two chapters complement each other. Given this background, Chapter 4 explores the pattern of food consumption in Assam, using secondary data sources (NSSO 68th and 66th rounds). Also, the methodology of these rounds and highlight their similarities and differences has been analyzed. Then, using the data, we undertake a comparative study of elasticities across rural and urban sub-samples (within a single round) as well as over the different rounds (over time comparison). Both the Linear Expenditure System (LES) and LA/AIDS estimation methods to figure out the elasticities has been used. Using the estimates, it is shown how the data can be used to predict the direction of optimal commodity tax reform. Given the obsolescence of the data (NSSO 68th round was carried out in 2012, and since then there are no other rounds of NSSO detailing consumption expenditure), a survey data was carried out in two contiguous districts of Assam: namely Kamrup Metropolitan (That is, Guwahati city, the state capital) and Kamrup. The sample survey covers both rural and urban parts. The next two chapters are devoted to the analysis of the survey. Chapter 5 presents the details of the primary data. After providing the details of survey methodology, the rest of the chapter is then devoted to exploratory analysis of household-level consumption expenditures (at various levels) and their link with demographic characteristics. Paired t-tests and ANOVA analysis have been used extensively to highlight differences in the consumption analysis. Of course, such groupcomparisons have problems of their own. Hence, in the next chapter, the data for regres sion analysis and applications has been used. The main aim is to analyse food consumption patterns. In that chapter, two different techniques to analyse demand was used. First, a multiple equation demand system estimation (using LES and LA/AIDS) was used where the data permitted. Second, the chapter also discusses a singleequation model (with limited data) and highlights the difference between urban/rural as wellas poor/rich sub-samples in terms of the effect of demographic variables and expenditure elasticities. The estimates from the complete demand system are used in optimal com modity taxation literature as well. Based on the findings, one of the major implications is that policymakers should consider context-specific identification of factors affecting food consumption demand. Estimates do differ across samples as well as across the method of estimation. Policy-wise, one must pay attention to the demographic variables. Our analysis provides some limited evidence that the tax rules as prescribed by the current GST regime should be modified.
An analysis of regional disparities in agricultural development in Assam : an econometric approach
(2003) Mahanta, Ratul
Regional imbalances is a ubiquitous phenomenon in both developed and developing economies. But in the latter it is more acute and glaring. It is being increasingly recognized, both on theoretical and empirical grounds, and experiences of the developing countries shows that at least in the initial stages of economic development, considerable regional imbalances in development arises. Reservation have, however, been expressed about the need to take deliberate policy measures to remove these increasing regional disparities in the levels of living. Regional disparity exists in agricultural development in Assam. The present study intends to measure the extent of regional disparities in agricultural development in Assam and examine the factors responsible for them. This will help to find solution to the problem of regional disparities. The study assumes that there are three sources...
Archaeology of the Digaru-Kolong River Valley with Special Emphasis on the Neolithic Period
(2023) Kumar, Jitendra
Northeast India has long been considered a significant region for archaeological research. The geographical setting, biodiversity, diverse ethnic culture, ancient settlement, and traces of migration play a crucial role in creating a dynamic landscape of Northeast India. Assam and Meghalaya are crucial regions for archaeological research in Northeast India. However, most of the research in the region has been limited to site-specific studies. The present study area of Digaru – Kolong river valley is located in the foothills of the Meghalaya plateau and is surrounded by several archaeologically potential regions, such as North Cachar Hills, Khasi, and Garo Hills. Sarutaru and Marakdola are the only reported and excavated sites in this region. The reports of accidental findings of artifacts are widespread throughout the region, which further indicates the potentiality in terms of archaeological research.
Assessment of post-implementation success and key future Challenges of banking informaton systems: the Role of Technological Organizational and Human Factors
(2013) Kaushal, Sarika
Abstract not available
Bilingual Language Processing: The Role of Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Context
(2022) Kechu, Opangienla
Language, following the Cognitive Revolution, is seen primarily as a higher mental function, working in tandem with other such faculties, like attention, executive functions and so on. Hence the focus has shifted from the analysis of the surface structures to how language is processed online, in a dynamic fashion, on the go. This underlines what goes on in the human mind when one either comprehends or produces language; the factors responsible behind the scene, that regulate how one processes language. Following this, the notion of bilingualism and bilingual language processing has been a much focused and discussed topic among researcher. Current discussions on bilingualism in the scholarly circles have focused on issues as myriad as social, cultural, cognitive, psychological, developmental, educational and even political aspects, alongside the obvious linguistic factors and has seen immense growth from the Revised Hierarchical Model (Kroll & Steward, 1994), Bilingual Interaction Activation Model (BIA, Dijkstra & van Heuven, 1998), Inhibitory control Model (Green 1998) to the recent Adaptive control hypothesis (Green & Abutalebi, 2013). The Adaptive Control Hypothesis specially has gained much traction with researchers finding compelling evidence (Hartanto & Yang, 2016; Verreyt et al., 2015) for the importance of interactional context on bilingual language processing. In tandem with this is the research on the influence of cultural context on language processing which first started a decade ago and is still continuously finding evidence. Thus, the main emerging trend in bilingual language processing research today is on the influence of context, be it linguistic context or non-linguistic context like culture.
Border Creation, Citizenship and Identity: A Case Study of the Chakmas in Arunachal Pradesh
(2021) Boro, Konkumoni
The study attempts to investigate and analyze how the creation of post colonial borders impact the political status and identity construction of people crossing the borders and in the process how do these communities perceive the ideas of citizenship. The study is based in South Asia, making of its post colonial borders, resulting in sparking issues of majority and minority; native and settler; insider and outsider. This process resulted in large numbers of minority groups who were compelled to leave their countries of origin and they were neither accepted as citizens in the country of origin nor in their country of residence. Thus, many lingered as stateless people with no political status nor any rights and benefits. One such community is the Chakmas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts who migrated to India from East Pakistan due to religious persecutions and submergence of their arable land due to construction of Kaptai Hydel Dam. The Chakmas make continuous efforts to determine their status, rights and identity. In 1964, a large number of Chakma people migrated to India and were resettled by the Union Government of India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chakmas are still claiming for their political status, rights and identity even after more than six decades of their migration from Chittagong Hill Tracts (part of erstwhile East Pakistan) to India and resettlement in then Northeast Frontier Agency (NEFA). The various demands of citizenship claims made by the Chakmas, role of various Chakma organizations, responses of the state will be discussed in the study. The study analyses both the claims of the incoming community and the responses of the receiving community, particularly the contesting claims by political organizations like the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU). The study concludes with discussion on the responses of the governments, both the Union and the State and the Judiciary on the issue of the Chakmas in Arunachal Pradesh.
Brahmaputra River Basin: A Game Theoretic Approach to Cooperation and Benefit Sharing
(2024) Baruah, Tanushree
Freshwater is a critical natural capital that is non-substitutable at the interface of economy and environment. Globally, demographic and socioeconomic drivers, along with the impact of climate change, have created unprecedented water scarcity, with demand exceeding supply. Collaborative water management can strengthen resilience and cope with risks from imminent water crises, aiding the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, management becomes increasingly complex for transboundary rivers, a global common good that flows without obeying borders. The complexity arises from the additional layer of political economy to the economy-environment interface, encompassing transboundary rivers. Transboundary interaction among power asymmetric riparians is influenced by overlapping state sovereignty and diverse strategic interests in river utilisation. Unilateral water interventions without internalising associated external costs strain international relations between nations. The non-cooperative behaviour exists because riparian nations equate transboundary negotiations with sovereignty bargains, interpreting lost autonomous control over the river. As the entire problem relates to water-sharing, an innovative principle called benefit sharing emphasises sharing the benefits derived from the water resource rather than the water itself. Despite hydro-political tensions, benefit sharing incentivises transboundary water cooperation as it overlooks sovereignty issues, producing win-win outcomes for riparians. This thesis focuses on the relatively under-researched transboundary river basin- the Brahmaputra River Basin (BRB). The mighty river that originates in China and transcends three South Asian countries, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, needs more institutionalised water cooperation. Although the basin has not faced an acute water crisis to date, growing and competing water interventions have been underway since the millennium to use the river as a power consolidation mechanism, particularly by China and India. This has intensified the vulnerability risks for the basin communities. Existing literature is silent on the economic and political factors driving the interaction between power asymmetric BRB riparians. Therefore, this thesis aims to examine the existing and evolving bilateral water interaction among the BRB riparians and the prospect of benefit sharing. It deploys the state-of-the-art analytical framework of game theory to analyse riparians’ strategic behaviour. Game theory is the science of rational decision-making for conceiving social situations among competing players and fits best to understand the economic and political dimensions of water management even without
Brewing Trouble or Transforming Nature? Making of Tea Plantation Environments in Assam, 1830s-1930s
(2021) Borkotoky, Namrata
Tea plantations in Assam brought about significant modifications in the physical environment along with the well-documented socio-economic and political transformations. The thesis explores the making and un-making of tea plantations’ environments in colonial Assam, India from 1830s to the 1930s. The emergence of tea as an industry in Assam coincided with the simultaneous initiation, growth and influx of intellectual or scientific discourses which included agricultural expertise, practical “on-field” expertise, and various scientific and technological researches. Built around the narrative of tea cultivation prevalent among this colonial tea “expertise”, who implicitly dictated how the environment in these plantations would be manipulated, the thesis explores a common thread that binds the themes under study- deforestation, soil degradation, pest occurrences and the corporeal degeneration of its labourers. This study endeavours to explore the inter-connectedness between human actions in the tea environs and its unforeseen and long-lasting consequences in the plantation environments. Through this exploration, the thesis seeks to situate the rapidly transforming plantation environment within the tea expertise’s discussions and debates surrounding a few of the biggest concerns of planters of colonial Assam, i.e. declining soil productivity, rise of pests and the ill-health of the plantation labourers. The study brings to the forefront how the cycle of human actions and consequent environmental repercussions continuously changed the tea expertise’s opinions and strategies in managing these troubles
Caste in City: A Study of a Residential Settlement in Delhi
(2020) Devi, Rama
This research attempts to understand the manifestations of caste in an urban context, through a qualitative field study of a residential locality in the city of Delhi. It primarily focuses on Dalits, the members of marginalised castes, who have been residing in Ashanagar for over four decades. It explores various aspects of their lives and seeks to understand the manner in which caste exerts influence on their everyday interactions, experiences, opportunities and economic mobility in the city. Scholars continue to debate the nature, presence and persistence of caste in contemporary times. Some argue that caste has been de-ritualised and domesticated under the modern conditions, and, as a result it ceases to exert influence on sociopolitical and economic life. Others, in contrast, underline caste based socioeconomic disparities and discrimination and insist that modern structures conceal its role even as it reinforces inequalities. In the light of these broader debates, this study examines the modes of operation of caste and the ways it appears in urban landscape. More specifically, this study provides a descriptive account of the nature of quotidian inter-caste interactions in Ashanagar; it explores aspirations of members of various castes, especially the youth, and the realities of socio-economic mobility; and, it analyses local politics including electoral representation and Dalit politics. The study underscores that rather than being domesticated, caste occupies public spheres, and influences intercaste relations and interactions. It also fuses with different forms of modern hierarchies and plays a significant role in shaping urban inequalities. This study is based on data collected through qualitative research methods, including observation of various activities, interviews of individuals and groups, and case studies. This fieldwork for gathering information extended over a period of one year to understand the interactions and dynamics in the locality and individual/family life courses. It covered members from across caste/community, age and gender groups.
Citizenship, Nationality and Assam: A Political History Since 1950
(2021) Saikia, Prarthana
The thesis probes the question of the history of the making of the Indian citizenship in the context of Assam, the northeastern state of India. In Assam, the idea of citizenship has always been set against the trope of the foreigner. The notion of citizenship originated as a resource and culture specific consciousness much earlier. Assam as a province of the British India developed a distinct nature of discourse about membership. After independence, born out of the tumultuous history of India’s Partition at 1947, this idea went through various phases of political and cultural evolution. The citizenship question gradually got shaped within the constitutional and legal framework, but Partition continued to haunt the process. While for large part of India, the highly complex question of the citizenship did not remain a part of popular political discourse, for Assam, ‘who will not be an Indian citizen?’ came to be highly contested. Since 1950, the process of conferring citizenship in India remained entangled between two categories of people - the (mainly Muslim) migrants and (primarily Hindu) refugees from Pakistan. Assam’s embattled journey critically influenced India’s citizenship discourse. This redefining of legal citizenship in India was affected through constant reinterpretation of citizenship laws and everyday engagement of Assam’s residents. The thesis attempts to unfold this long journey of Indian citizenship in Assam, starting from pre-independence to the most recent.
Collapsing Boundaries: Narrative Strategies in the Fiction of Amitav Ghosh
(2009) Prasad, Abhigyan
Abstract not found
Colonial heritage, urban development in Guwahati city : A study in heritage resource management
(2016) Saikia, Madhuri
Based on the UNESCO recommendation of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL), adopted on 10th November, 2011, the work on Colonial Heritage, Urban Development in Guwahati City: A Study in Heritage Resource Management proceeds to construct the meaning of heritage and henceforth apply it in the context of the city of Guwahati. The present study is based on heritage resource management in the urbanised scenario. Heritage, whether tangible or intangible, belongs to mankind in general and not associated with any particular culture or place. As expanding cities is an integral part of the urbanisation process, the past is often threatened by the present. The past needs to be preserved but at the same time the present cannot be threatened. The past has to make way for the present and let development continue. In the 21st century when globalisation, localisation, sustainability and responsibility are the key words, historic preservation has taken a different role. Taking note of the different kinds of threats to the heritage resources taking place globally (natural or manmade) which is recognised by the UNESCO and the population threat which is the predominant threat in the Indian context, the study proceeds to introduce managerial traits for the heritage management in Guwahati through a process of analytical framework. This framework is developed by borrowing ideas from the 10th November 2011 UNESCO recommendation on the historic urban landscape and the set of 5Cs i.e. credibility, conservation, capacity building, communication, and communities developed by World Heritage Committee in the Budapest Declaration (2002 ).
Colonial Knowledge and the Quest for Unnati among the Boros of North-East India, 1880s-1940s
(2022) Daimari, James
The thesis examines the formation of Boro identity from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. This is being done in the light of knowledge that came to be produced on Boros by British administrators and ethnographers, and the consequent engagement with that knowledge among the Boros as they strove for unnati (progress) and respectability within the existing social context. Boros were, what could be termed, a ‘fuzzy’ but ‘practically precise’ community, sharing kinship ties with various other communities in the north eastern region of the Indian sub-continent. However, the ethnological and classificatory exercises of the British during the nineteenth century gradually tried to fit them into more definite and rigid categories, wherein they came to be placed within a racialised hierarchy of castes/tribes. Rather than being docile subjects, Boros engaged with this knowledge produced about them and attempted to use it to chart out their own path. The articulations of the Boros were varied and sometimes divergent, but the thesis argues that what was common in all these multifarious articulations was the quest for unnati and ‘regeneration’. The religious conversions, socio-religious reform, political mobilisation and attempts to reclaim histories, prevalent among Boros in the first half of the twentieth century were all placed within the desire for ‘progress’. In this respect, while acknowledging the overarching dominance of colonial knowledge, the thesis also tries to be acutely aware of the agency of Boros themselves in the making of their modern self.

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