1st Edition
Ethnic Inequality in the Northeastern Indian Borderlands Social Structures and Symbolic Violence
Ethnic Inequality in the Northeastern Indian Borderlands analyses the relationship between symbolic violence, inequality and ethnicity, and addresses the question of unequal integration of small ethnic groups into state structures by using the Limbus of the Northeastern Indian borderlands as a case study.
Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence, the author argues that the ethnicization of the Limbus has been associated with the devaluation of their cultural identity, which was itself first constructed and naturalized by the same process of ethnicization. The book is a pioneering work in terms of the application of Bourdieu’s sociology to Northeast India and the theoretical interpretation of ethnic inequality in Northeast India. In addition, the book contributes to the overall understanding of the constant structural identity of symbolic violence and its varying manifestations.
Exploring the symbolic dimensions of power relations within state structures, this book will be of interest to a wide readership from various disciplines including area studies, global studies, comparative studies, borderland studies, inequality studies, sociology, anthropology and political science.
Introduction 1. Theory of symbolic violence 2. Integration of Limbus in precolonial Sikkim 3. Integration of Limbus in colonial Sikkim 4. Integration of Limbus in postcolonial Sikkim 5. Limbu as a scheduled tribe in contemporary Sikkim 6. Configurations of symbolic violence in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Nepal Conclusion
Biography
Anita Lama received her doctorate in Global and Area Studies from Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. Her research interests include social theory, globalisation and inequality.
"Reading Ethnic Inequality in the Northeastern Indian Borderlands: Social Structures and Sym bolic Violence by Anita Lama, published by Routledge, was a sheer joy. Honestly speaking, I learned a lot about my community, which is the focus of her book. The language is smooth and the arguments, although at times repetitive, are consistent and coherent. It is an excellent example of how historical and contemporary data can be woven with theory to tell the story of one of the marginalized (\dominated" to use the author's word) Himalayan communities. Applying Pierre Boudieu's theory of symbolic violence to understanding the status of the Limbus of Darjeeling, Sikkim, and East Nepal vis-_a-vis the state or the dominant communities in these three contexts is quite convincing, to say the least." Transcience (2021) Vol. 12, Issue 1
