Politics of Ethnic Boundary Making and Maintenance: the Poumai Nagas of North-East India

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Northeast states constitute the most important tribal belt of Indian nation-state. In post-colonial and post-India Independence period most of these tribal communities have been developed into ethnic web with the objective of asserting their distinctive identities vis-à-vis constructing and maintenance different boundaries mostly by elites and social organizational actors. Wherein, the present book has come out with indebt studies of theoretical understanding of politics of boundary making and maintenance from Barthian and post-Barthian angle. And outcome with an empirical fieldwork analysis of pan-Naga vis-a-vis a smaller community of Poumai Naga tribe experienced maintenance different levels of boundaries in North-East India.

Doubtlessly, ethnic communities and tribal groups coexistence of reciprocal relationship is essentially expected in the Northeast region. However, in recent years this social boundary issue becomes sensitizing in the hand of different elites and social organizational actors through social construction. This has become a common syndrome in Northeast India at the present-day. To be pragmatic, one cannot isolate the other and maintain an exclusive community in this modemity world.

KABA DANIEL, Ph.D (b. 1976) was a Poumai Naga from Phuba Khuman in Tahamzam (Senapati) district, Manipur. He did his high school in Don Bosco School and Matriculated in the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur in 1993. His intermediate did at Patkai Christian College under Nagaland University (NU) in 1995. Graduated in Political Science at Sankardev College in 1999, Post- graduated in the Department of Political Science, NEHU, Shillong in 2001, and in the same university he was awarded a Ph.D degree in 2018. He is UGC-NET fellow in 2000 & 2006. He was ICSSR fellow by ICSSR New Delhi under the Ministry of HRD from 2012 to 2014.

To his credits, he has been participated several workshops, seminars and conferences and presented good numbers of papers. His research papers published in reputed national and international journals, edited books, newspapers and magazines. This book is the outcome of his doctoral thesis studies and experiences of the past. He is an active member associating academic organizations like North East India History Association (NEIHA), a Life Members. Social responsibilities held like Auditor Member of All Phuba Youth and Students Organization (APYSO) in 1996, Chairman, Poumai Worship Service, Shilllong in 1998 and Chief Election Commissioner, Poumai Tsüdoumai Me, Shillong (PTMS) in 2000.

Kaba Daniel taught both under graduate and post graduate courses for the last Twelve years. He is presently Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, St. Joseph College (Autonomous), Jakhama, Nagaland.

North-East India is a home to many different ethnic communities today. The region has been a witness to contradictory processes of assimilation, acculturation, amalgamation and fragmentation of ethnic communities. An attempt is made in this book to understand and analyze the political processes of articulating, creating and maintaining a distinct Poumai Naga boundary along tribal line and also to study whether the Poumai Nagas have also positively to consolidation and expansion of pan-Naga ethnic boundary in Northeast India in general and the state of Manipur in particular. A comprehensive study of the politics and role of Poumai leaders and organizations in Naga politics helps us to understand the political processes influencing boundary making and maintenance among the Naga tribes at different levels. The data collected for the study are both from primary and secondary sources. The study relies on theoretical insights of different scholarly works on ethnicity and ethnic boundary. The contents of the book are divided into six chapters. This book is the further development outcome of my doctoral studies completed at the Northern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, Meghalaya in 2018. Writing this entire book was a task that could not have been completed without the help of some people; I sincerely feel the need to express my indebtedness to them.

Firstly, I express my sincere acknowledgement and gratefulness to Dr. H. Srikanth, Professor, my Ph.D Supervisor and current Head of the Department of Political Science, NEHU for his tireless constant guidance, encouragement and his selfless dedication to see that this work is completed in stipulated time. His constructive inputs and suggestions have helped in improving the quality of this work result. My indebtedness and credit goes to him, to his wife Dr. Mala Ranganathan, Professor, Department of English, NEHU and their daughter for giving their valuable time and treating me like a family member during my research years.

**Contents and Sample Pages**