Socio-political formation in the post-colonial Assam: A Study of identity consciousness and transformation of Tiwa community

Abstract

Three major categories of discontent, namely ethnic discontent, linguistic discontent, and discontent, which evolved out of the concern over the loss of Assamese identity due to migration, can best be used to understand the postcolonial narrative of Assam. Every social and political development during the post-colonial period is, in one way or another, a continuation of these discontents. The colonial legacy of divisive politics, the flexibility in Indian federalism and the provisions in the Indian constitution further fuelled the situation. In the midst of political modernisation and democratisation, ethnic communities of various sizes began to assert their distinctiveness and demand recognition and preservation. The Tiwas are likewise not an exception. Throughout the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods, the traditional society of the Tiwas underwent numerous changes. Through revivalism and reconstruction, they were able to adopt a new model of socio-political formation of their identity. Therefore, the present work is aimed at studying the changing narrative of identity construction among Tiwas in Assam in the Postcolonial period. It also discusses the changing socio-political order and its implication among the Tiwas from the Colonial to the Post-colonial period. The study was primarily qualitative in nature, and a historical and analytical methodology was adopted while preparing the article. Collections of data have been made from various secondary sources such as – articles published in books, journals and other published vernacular records.