Formation and Construction of ‘Mizo’ as Identity

Abstract

This article is an attempt to understand the complex issues of identity formation of the Mizos who are presently living in the corner most region of India’s North East. Here, it is interesting to study how identity is formed, constructed and even protected. This process involves centuries of historical journey that examines how the people perceived themselves and how the outsiders constructed their identity on the conception of “difference” that would include subjugation and internalisation. It aims to understand how space and territoriality that are imagined or constructed in the psyche of the people played a significant role in identity formation. These are the products of colonial intervention affirmed by Christianity and exposure to the world beyond their isolated hills. It would also focus on the formation and development of ‘Mizo’ in the pre-colonial and post-colonial era. Further, it would also highlight how the nomenclature of the ethnonym, ‘Mizo’ has been debated by the historians. On a methodological note rich archival materials and secondary sources on Mizo identity are employed.