Introduction: Search for Home in Eastern South Asia

Abstract

Northeast India is the easternmost region of India and comprises the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Tripura. This region is of immense geopolitical importance due to its terrain, location and peculiar demographic dynamics. It is one of the most challenging regions to govern and is India’s gateway to Southeast Asia, as here it is bordered by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and China. Therefore, this chapter provides an introduction to this edited volume which attempts to look beyond the almost daily debates and reports about the territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in Northwestern South Asia, to focus on India’s Northeast region and its immediate neighbouring territories, home to numerous competing communities and historical entities – as in Kashmir – that continue to assert claims for national independence. Consisting of several sub-sections, this chapter conceptualises the varied concepts of home, homeland, belonging and ownership among the locals and the refugees. This chapter, further, briefs about the different borderland issues in Eastern South Asia. Finally, the structure of the book is described at the end in a clear and concise manner.