Black Magic, Witchcraft and Occultism

Black Magic, Witchcraft and Occultism
Author: Sajal Nag
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2023-06-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000905268

Black magic, occult practices and witchcraft still evoke huge curiosity, interest and amazement in the minds of people. Although witchcraft in Europe has been a widely studied phenomenon, black magic and occult are not yet a popular theme of academic research, even though India is known as a land of magic, tantra and occult. The Indian State of Assam was historically feared as the land of Kamrup-Kamakhya, black magic, witchcraft and occultic practices. It was where different Tantric cults as well as other occult practices thrived. The Khasi Hills are known for the practice of snake vampire worship. The village of Mayong is the village, where magic and occult is still practiced as a living tradition. This book is one of the rarest collections where such practices are researched, recorded and academically analyzed. It is one of those collections where studies of all three practices of Black Magic, Witchcraft and Occult are comibned into one single book.

Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India

Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India
Author: Rakesh Khanna
Publisher: Watkins Media Limited
Total Pages: 568
Release: 2023-09-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786788306

An illustrated guide to the folktales and real-life stories of the ghosts, monsters and demons of India, a culture famously rich in tradition and legends. Perfect for fans of Eli Roth's Urban Legends and Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. "I was not prepared for how deeply this book captivated me ... Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India is exemplary of what a book can be, how it can operate. It’s a bridge across space, time, and language" —Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore An encyclopedia of evil entities and folkloric fiends from across India, from Ladakh to Kerala, Lakshadweep to Nagaland, Naraka to Tuchenkwaka, complete with 60 spooky illustrations. Inside this book you will find ... Killer robots built with stolen Roman engineering technology that once guarded the relics of the Buddha The ghost of a 21-year-old motorcyclist whose Enfield Bullet is venerated at a highway temple in Rajasthan A Himalayan drum-playing spirit-teacher whose wife is a fearsome Yeti Diabolical entities conjured into existence by the simultaneous deaths of seven tigers Triple-rooted night-flying Vedic necromancers Call-centre employees from beyond the grave The dreaded Ngalei Ahmaw of Maraland, whose victims’ heads detach themselves from their bodies at night and go wandering in search of blood ... AND MORE

Colonization, Proselytization, and Identity

Colonization, Proselytization, and Identity
Author: Tezenlo Thong
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 139
Release: 2016-10-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3319439340

This book examines the formation of identity of the Nagas in northeast India in light of the proselytizing efforts by the Americans and the colonization by the British in their search for control over areas inhabited by the Nagas which were perfect for tea plantations. The author explores the westernization of Naga culture, its effect on the Naga Nationalist movement, and how it has led to the formation of modern Naga identity. As a unique indigenous group, the colonization of the Naga people offers fresh insights into our understanding of the processes and effects of colonization in India, as well as its long-term negative effects, particularly with regards to the preservation of traditional beliefs and customs.

Conflict and Youth Rights in India

Conflict and Youth Rights in India
Author: Haans J. Freddy
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 102
Release: 2017-02-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9811030693

This book examines how conflict has affected the rights of youth in Northeast India. Examining youth engagement in protracted conflict and its impact on youth rights, the author considers the complex issues besieging the region, including armed insurgency, conflicts between ethnic groups, human rights violations, poor governance and a lack of economic development, all factors contributing to the lack of growth in the region, and a consequent sense of alienation from the Indian mainstream. Moving beyond considering Northeast India as a theatre of insurgency, this pivot offers an alternative understanding of youth unrest in India and issues of non-representation in terms of rights and ethnic, national and cultural identities.

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Readings on Tribe and Religions in India

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Readings on Tribe and Religions in India
Author: Maguni Charan Behera
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2024-10-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1040125662

Tribal societies in India observe a diverse set of religious practices which are a quintessential part of their community life. This handbook explores rituals, beliefs, ceremonies and festivals, liturgy, knowledge and traditions that tribal people practice today and traces the history of their interaction with other religions, communities and cultures. The book provides analytical, intellectual, and cultural insights into the religious tradition of tribes within the interactive space of a pan-Indian civilisation. It examines contemporary religious practice within tribes while also exploring changes either brought on by interactions or political interventions. The volume reflects on the intersections of cultural or political life of communities and their religious worldviews. The book also discusses the processes of assimilation or adoption of different religion or religious traditions by tribes and the challenges of detribalisation and shrinking populations of vulnerable groups. It explores both established and emerging dynamics in the field of tribe and religion and provides a look into the unique systems of kinship, worship and life within many different tribal communities in India. This and its companion handbook, The Routledge Handbook of Tribe and Religions in India: Contemporary Readings on Spirituality, Belief and Identity, provide a comprehensive look into the religious life and practices of a very diverse group of tribes in India. It will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the fields of religion, anthropology, indigenous and tribal studies, social and cultural anthropology, sociology of culture, sociology of religion, development studies, history, political science, folkloristic, and colonialism.

Communities of Women in Assam

Communities of Women in Assam
Author: Nandana Dutta
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2015-12-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317328701

This book uses communities of women as a framework for reading women’s experience, rights and aspirations in Assam and Northeast India. It explores the varying roles played by such communities in the formation of society, the emergence of a women’s public sphere and the representation of these communities in culture. The essays in the volume study a host of women’s communities including the Mahila Samiti, Jain women’s organisations, Lekhika Sanstha, lesbian communities, religious gatherings, scientific and environmental groups, women’s collaborations through cookbooks, as well as nebulous communities of victims of persecution. They examine how women’s communities are both empowering and transformational but may paradoxically also be regressive and static. Lucid, analytical, and rich with case studies, this volume will be useful to scholars and researchers of gender studies, sociology, political science, history and cultural studies, particularly those interested in Northeast India.

Marginality in India

Marginality in India
Author: Kedilezo Kikhi
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2023-01-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000815617

The book takes a close look into the definitions and categorizations of marginality, inequality, agency and location in society. It examines the systems of marginalization and othering by exploring perspectives of socially excluded people and communities in Northeast India. The context of Northeast India provides unique perspectives on the debates around marginality due to the existence of multi-ethnic cultures in the region and since its prolonged colonial historical experience alienated it from the rest of India. This volume focuses on the issues pertaining to tribe, caste, gender identity, religion, and physical disability in the region. It also looks at the roles which institutions, education and the media play in the creation and perpetuation of social exclusion and the centre—periphery binary. With essays from eminent scholars and social scientists, the book discusses themes such as citizenship and borders, national and tribal identity, the role of the law, government and policies for countering exclusion and the challenges which socially excluded groups and communities face to gain agency, autonomy and the right to equality. This book will be useful for scholars and researchers of sociology, Northeast India studies, political sociology, development studies, political science, gender studies, and social anthropology.

Construction of Evil in North East India

Construction of Evil in North East India
Author: Prasenjit Biswas
Publisher: SAGE Publications Pvt. Limited
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012-11-19
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9788132109457

Set in the tribal cultural mosaic of North East India, this book provides an interesting study on the concept of evil and its representations in literature, political theory, and social and cultural movements. It is an excellent disposition of the myths, narratives, and discourses, drawn from the tribal experiences of North East India, which also examines the possibility of overcoming the forms of evil in correlation with both the 'local' and the 'global' situations of war, terror, and redemption.

Queering Tribal Folktales from East and Northeast India

Queering Tribal Folktales from East and Northeast India
Author: Kaustav Chakraborty
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2020-12-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1000288951

This book explores queer potentialities in the tribal folktales of India. It elucidates the queer elements in the oral narratives of four indigenous communities from East and Northeast India, which are found to be significant repositories of gender fluidity and non-normative desires. Departing from the popular understanding that ‘Otherness’ results largely from undue exposure to Western permissiveness, the author reveals how minority sexualities actually have their roots in aboriginal indigenous cultures and do not necessarily constitute a mimicry of the West. The volume endeavours to demystify the politics behind such vindictive propagation to sensitize the queerphobic mainstream about the essential endogenous presence of the queer in the spaces that are aboriginal. Based on extensive interdisciplinary research, this book is a first of its kind in the study of indigenous queer narratives. It will be useful to scholars and researchers of queer studies, gender studies, tribal and indigenous studies, literature, cultural studies, postcolonialism, sociology, political studies and South Asian studies.