CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF LAW AND GOVERNANCE
Jawaharlal Nehru University
SEMINAR SERIES
BRANDON J. MILIATE
PhD Student- Political Science, Indiana University, Bloomington
On
Identity on the Edge: Kuki-Chin-Mizo Political Demands and Their Justification
Abstract : In this talk, I will be presenting my preliminary findings from over six months of field research on Kuki-Chin-Mizo political movements/demands and the identity narratives that are used to justify them. I argue that we must consider all political demands and narratives as part of a process of ethnogenesis that is being actively shaped and contested through political movements/insurgencies. Three factors are particularly important to understanding the shape of these debates. Nomenclature issues lead to massive divisions between peoples that generally consider themselves closely related. Two, the intra and interstate borders that divide the Kuki-Chin-Mizo peoples and the nature of state and community building in borderlands further complicates conceptions of identity. Finally, state institutions incentivize certain types of identity narratives and demands, even when such narratives do not correspond to the situation on the ground. I will conclude with some policy recommendations for creating a more peaceful solution in the region.
Tuesday, 08 August, 2017
3.00 PM, Conference Room, CSLG, JNU
About the Speaker: Brandon J. Miliate is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. His is also a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellow. Brandon was an affiliated researcher with the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU, February-May 2016, during his fieldwork in Northeast India.
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