Unsettled autonomy: Ethnicity, tribes and subnational politics in Mizoram, North‐east India*

Abstract

This article takes a critical look at the relationship between subnational struggles, tribal politics and political aspirations in Mizoram, North‐east India. It examines how community dynamics and relationships shape the demand for autonomy in a diverse and complex region like North‐east India. Looking at communities registered as tribes in the government scheme of classification, it underlies how autonomy becomes an arena where communities mobilise both against the central state and within themselves. The paper examines the formation of Lushai Hills District Council and the Pawi–Lakher Regional Council (PLRC) in Mizoram, their subsequent development as in the case of the Mizo Hill District Council to Union Territory and statehood and the split in the case of the PLRC into three distinct autonomous councils. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, it notes that while territorial autonomy requires recognition and legitimation from the state, the way ethnic groups deploy demands for autonomy is inspired, if not instigated, by the nature of the relationship and interface within and across communities.

Religion, Identity and Tribal Sub-national Politics in India

“…As Christian and tribal, their identity has relegated them as the 'other,' outside of the national mainstream, creating a binary distinction between 'insider' and 'outsider' within the national imagination (Oommen, 1986). As a measure to claim inclusion, tribes across India demanded autonomy that would recognise their rights over their identity, land and resources (Munda & Mallick, 2003;Roluahpuia, 2021;Xaxa, 2008). The national integration 1 policy is at odds with tribal aspirations for autonomy.…”

Malaria hotspots and climate change trends in the hyper-endemic malaria settings of Mizoram along the India–Bangladesh borders

“…A majority of Mizoram’s population belongs to the Kuki Chin group, with an ancestral link to the Tibeto-Burma branch of the Indo-Mongloid race 4 . Mizoram is dominated by tribals (~ 94%) 5 , receives heavy rainfall (~ 2000 mm annually), and an estimated 89% of Mizoram (18,748 sq. km.)…”

Malaria hotspots and climate change trends in the hyper-endemic malaria settings of Mizoram along the India-Bangladesh borders

“…A majority of Mizoram's population belongs to the Kuki Chin group, with the ancestral link to the Tibeto-Burma branch of the Indo-Mongloid race 4 . Mizoram is dominated by tribals (~ 94%) 5 , receives heavy rainfall (~ 2500mm) annually, and an estimated 89% of Mizoram (18,748 sq km) is under forest cover 6 . Malaria in Mizoram is predominantly (> 90%) transmitted by Plasmodium falciparum 7 , and Anopheles minimus is the major vector in this region (RMRC Dibrugarh, Unpublished data).…”