Cosmopolitan Tribals: migrants from Northeast India in the Imperial Capital by Duncan McDuie-Ra

Speaker: Dr Duncan McDuie-Ra, Senior Lecturer in Development Studies, University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia

Work-in-progress 

Cosmopolitan Tribals examines contemporary migration from the Northeast borderlands of India to the capital city, Delhi, and the lives of tribal migrants living in this urban environment. Migration has taken place since at least Indian Independence in 1947, but has accelerated in the last decade. Using ethnographic material this study analyses three phenomena. First are the changes taking place in Northeast India. Second are the changes taking place in Delhi specifically and urban India more broadly. Third are the people of the Northeast particularly consideration of the ways Northeast communities perceive their own identity, 'Indian' identity and society, and the degree to which they feel like they belong and don't belong to mainstream India. In this particular paper I will focus on race and racism encountered by tribals in Delhi. Using detailed fieldwork material I argue that racism is constant, pervasive, and orchestrates all interactions between tribal migrants and other communities in Delhi. Racism affects housing, admission to establishments, non-recognition of Indian citizenship, and ensures that tribal migrants remain a distinct group in Delhi. Not only does this reveal insights into the Northeast experience but it also reveals a great deal about how race functions within India; crucial at a time when the majority of scholarship remains fixated with how Indians experience racism in other parts of the world.

About the Brown Bag Lecture Series

IIAS is pleased to introduce the 2011 Brown Bag Lecture Series. Every second Tuesday of the month one of the IIAS researchers will present his/her work-in-progress in an informal setting to their colleagues and other interested attendees. The brown bag lectures are organized to give the research community the opportunity to freely discuss ongoing research and to exchange thoughts.
Please bring your own lunch. IIAS will provide coffee, tea, cold drinks, and possibly a snack. Reservation is not required, but space is limited.