Understanding the Histories of Peoples on the Margins: A Critique of “Northeast India's Durable Disorder”

Abstract

This article examines the often misconceived problem of insurgency and various political, social, and law and order problems

of northeast India, which Sanjib Baruah calls “Northeast India's Durable Disorder.” The region has been stereotyped by the postcolonial state of India as a “disturbed area” infested with insurgents and militants. In its attempts to resolve this “durable disorder,” India fails to engage with its underlying causes in the construction of new political boundaries in both the colonial and postcolonial eras.