Migration, Ethnicity-based Movements and State’s Response: A Study of Assam

Abstract

Following reclamation of Assamese ethnic identity, the movements for making Assam a nation province started in the 1960s. The caveat, however, was the ever-growing Bengali migrants from Bangladesh. The Assamese movement, bolstered by the exclusivity and dominance, caused resentment from the non-Assamese communities and this ostracism was manifested in the form of counter movements. After restoring normalcy for a few years, armed movement for secession kicked-off in the early 1980s and intensified in the 1990s. Unfortunately, State’s intervention failed to contain protracted conflicts, rather compounded the situation and gave rise to hybrid ethnic identities in the 2000s. This further led to demands for ethnicity-based autonomy movements.