The Muslim Question in Assam and Northeast India

The Muslim Question in Assam and Northeast India
Author: Monoj Kumar Nath
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2021-03-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000370275

This book presents a systematic study of the transformation of the specific socio-political identity of the Muslims in Assam. It discusses the issues of Muslims under India’s ‘indigenous secularism’, Hindu nationalism and the rise of majoritarian politics; Muslim immigration into Assam after Independence; the Assam Movement and the shift of Muslims from being a vote bank to an autonomous force in the post-Partition politics of Assam; the role of Jamiat; and the divide between Assamese and the neo-Assamese. It explores the history and contemporary politics of the state to show how they shape the new context of Muslim identity in Assam, where previously an Assamese identity often prevailed over religious and linguistic identity. With the current debates on illegal immigration, the National Register of Citizens of India (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, this book will be a timely addition to the existing literature on Muslim minority politics in Assam and northeast India. This book will be useful to scholars and researchers of political science, sociology, political sociology, minority studies, northeast India studies, demography and immigration studies, and development studies. It will interest those concerned with minority politics, communal politics, identity politics, migration, citizenship issues, and South Asian studies.

Indigenous Governance

Indigenous Governance
Author: David E. Wilkins
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 505
Release: 2023-12
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0190096004

After decades of federal dominance and dependence, Native governments now command attention as they exercise greater degrees of political, economic, and cultural power. Given the weight and importance of many issues confronting Native peoples today, these governments arguably matter even more to their peoples and to the broader society than ever before. Native governments have become critically important as the chief providers of basic services and the authors of solutions to collective problems in their societies. As major actors within the realm of democratic politics, they increasingly wield their powers to educate and advocate regarding Indigenous concerns. For many communities (including non-Native neighbors) they are the largest spenders and employers. They have also become adept at negotiating intergovernmental agreements that protect their peoples and resources while strengthening their unique political status. Native peoples and governments are also navigating the devastating and lingering health and economic impact of COVID-19; the profound environmental problems that have been exacerbated by climate change; and jurisdictional conflicts with local, state, and federal actors. Indigenous Governance is a comprehensive, critical examination of Native political systems: the senior political sovereigns on the North American continent in terms of their origin, development, structures, and operation. Author David E. Wilkins provides the recognition and respect due Indigenous governments, while offering a considered critique of their shortcomings as imperfect, sovereign institutions. This appraisal will highlight their history, evolution, internal and intergovernmental issues, and diverse structures.

On the Drafting of Tribal Constitutions

On the Drafting of Tribal Constitutions
Author: Felix S. Cohen
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780806138060

Felix Cohen (1907–1953) was a leading architect of the Indian New Deal and steadfast champion of American Indian rights. Appointed to the Department of the Interior in 1933, he helped draft the Indian Reorganization Act (1934) and chaired a committee charged with assisting tribes in organizing their governments. His “Basic Memorandum on Drafting of Tribal Constitutions,” submitted in November 1934, provided practical guidelines for that effort.