About the Book

Of late, politics of the ‘self’ and the ‘other’ has been the subject of much academic debate in the study of subaltern identities all over the world. This debate addresses several questions. What is an identity? How are subaltern identities different from others? How the ‘self’ is contested with the ‘other’? Keeping in view these questions, the caste, tribe, and gender have all arisen is some way from a redrawing of the ‘otherness’ and everyday experiences in the society. In this context this book proposes to explore the nature of social subordination and its diverse forms of subordinations in the study of structural hegemony which exists in different forms in Indian society. The interface between contemporary state and social identities on the one hand, and relationships among the self identities on the other provided the context within which social hegemony is practiced. Social marginalization, contestation and discrimination has existed in Indian society since time immemorial. But the rise of self-respect movements and social network revolution after 1980s heralded the process of major changes in the social identity movements which remolded many of the pre-existing social discriminations. The gender question on the other hand has also attracted a lot of attention, particularly, because of the rise of the feminist movement in post-independence period. Like other social categories, women also have been involved in collective actions equipped with their agenda, leadership, ideologies and organizations in order to have their proper and dignified place in all aspects of life. The book is divided into four thematic sections covering 16 chapters. The four themes are (1) Politics of Self and Other; (2) Caste and Tribe; (3) Gender; and (4) Other Marginal Identities and Politics. Contributors Sunitaa Saikia Suniti Ahuja Binod C. Agrawal Maggie Katharpi Vulli Dhanaraju Riju Devi Abheeshta Nath R.K. Bijeta Thiyam Rabikanta Singh Tahir Hussain Ansari Tripti Soni Rini Banerjee Bijayani Mishra Biman Kumar Nath Jhumpa Dey Sekhar Kanti Sarkar Prasad R.

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Contents

Part  I: Politics of Self and Other

1 Contestation of Identities in a Globalizing World / Sunitaa Saikia

2 Conceptualizing ‘Self’ and ‘Otherness’ Identity / Suniti Ahuja

3 ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ of Hindu Identity in National and Global Perspective / Binod C. Agrawal

4 Reflections in Understanding the ‘Self’: Transforming Hegemony and the (un)seen ‘Other’ / Maggie Katharpi

Part II: Caste and Tribe

5 Debating Caste in Indian History / Vulli Dhanaraju

6 Caste-Based Exclusion of the ‘Damai’ Caste Group among the Nepali Community in Assam / Riju Devi

7 In Search of the Myth and the Real ‘Ishi’: The Last  Man of Yahi Tribe / Abheeshta Nath

8 Raids, Resistance and Sovereignty: A Study of Naga–Ahom Relation / R.K. Bijeta

Part  III: Gender

9 Masculine Gender Identity and Man’s Modern Right among the Meiteis of Manipur / Thiyam Rabikanta Singh

10 Situating Women in Muslim Society: Study from Personal Experiences / Tahir Hussain Ansari

11 Does Sexuality Define Identity? An Expository Study on Bar Dancers, Prostitutes and Eunuchs in the Works of Literature / Tripti Soni

12 Role of Societal Norms in the Creation of Identity of a Female: A Study of Aruni Kashyap’s The House with a Thousand Stories / Rini Banerjee

Part  IV: Other Marginal Identities and Politics

13 Conceptualizing Nature of Identity Movement:  An Analysis of Telangana State / Bijayani Mishra

14 Occupation of the Marginalized: A Study of Urban Informal Sector in Tezpur Town of Assam / Biman Kumar Nath

15 Social Networking Sites: A Boon or Curse for Society / Jhumpa Dey and Sekhar Kanti Sarkar

16 Conceptualizing ‘Self’ as a Social Product: An Analysis among the Migrant Labourers in Kerala / Prasad R.

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About the Author / Editor

Vulli Dhanaraju is currently teaching History at the Assam University (Central University) Diphu Campus, Assam, India. He obtained his M.A., M.Phil and Ph.D. degrees from University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. He was a Teen Murti Fellow (2008–2010) at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi. His area of research and specialization includes Caste and Tribe, Subaltern Studies and Environmental History. He has authored, A Textbook of Environmental History of India and edited four books; Debating Tribal Identity: Past and Present; The Idea of Caste; Regional Environmental History: Issues and Concepts in the Indian Sub-continent; and Contesting Gender: History, Politics and Identity. He has also contributed a number of articles/research papers in various reputed journals and conferences.

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