Claiming Land Rights: Politics of Space and Identity—A Study of the Tea Garden Community of Assam

Abstract

Land and identity issues are interlinked and landlessness becomes a cause of ethnic unrest in the Northeast region of India. Colonial land and forest policy not only impacted the lives of indigenous people but also affected the land relation of indigenous and other immigrant communities of Assam. Even the post-colonial state has also been continuing the legacy of colonial state, which resulted in the land deprivation of tribals and Adivasis of Assam. It is in this context the present study discusses the landlessness of the tea garden community of Assam. Despite living in Assam for more than a hundred years, they are constantly facing the issue of landlessness and land alienation, which subsequently created a threat to their identity, culture and livelihood. The article is based on the arguments and narratives drawn from the tea garden community of Assam and the role of state is also highlighted in this context.