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ABSTRACT
The rise of ethnic struggles in various parts of the world, particularly in the post-colonial period, is an intriguing phenomenon. Having the consciousness of primordial origins, indigenous communities have pursued ethnic mobilizations along different lines in order to achieve the goals of social and economic uplift. This paper focuses on the Rajbanshi, one such community living in northeast India, as they offer an opportunity to study history and ethnic identity formation as the dynamics behind their current situation. From the standpoint of applied anthropology, processes of social change and activism intended to improve the lot of Rajbanshi communities are evaluated. Given their obscure origins, cultural diversity and divided political struggle, the Rajbanshi are far from achieving their goal of pursuing better lives. Strategies of Sanskritization and ‘sons-of-the-soil’ indigeneity have not reaped the desired results in terms of social and economic development. Furthermore, discourses rooted in immigrant-aboriginal binaries and theoretical dichotomies of primordialism–constructivism fail to make sense of this community's experience and are not helpful in guiding them toward meaningful and fruitful political and social change.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Money-lender; also a surname.
2. Literally, the king's (raj) lineage (banshi). Other spellings include Rajbangshi, Rajbansi, Rajvansi and Rajvamsi. In this article, ‘Rajbanshi’ is used for both singular and plural forms with the exception of quotations extracted from other sources.
3. The aboriginal–immigrant binary is used differently in the context of settler communities, such as in North America. This paper does not claim that the binary is absolutely problematic. Rather, it elaborates how this binary has impeded our understanding of ethnic groups in the context of modern India.
4. For an overview of this region, see Sharma & Sharma (Citation2005). West Bengal ‘has ecological and cultural similarities with most states of North-East India, which perhaps justifies its inclusion in the region’ (Subba & Wouters, Citation2013, p. 195).
5. Sanskrit (literally, colour), a social unit based on birth; sometimes used synonymously with caste. Four varnas, in hierarchical order, are mentioned in the Hindu scriptures: Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, Shudra.
6. In the context of modern India, ‘indigenous,’ ‘tribal,’ and ‘aboriginal’ are mostly used interchangeably to discuss the autochthonous inhabitants of South Asia, including some regions in particular. These are often contrasted by Hindus who follow the four-tiered varna system.
7. Caste is sometimes used synonymously and interchangeably with varna. Those designated as ‘Untouchables’ are not part of the varna system but live within the larger ambit of Hindu society, occupying the lowest social status (compare Klostermaier Citation1998).
8. The discourse on the Rajbanshi is predominantly localized and appears as an expression of the interests of particular groups (colonial, reformist, autochthonous, political).
9. Earlier ethnographic work spanned 28 months in Bangladesh during which Wilson lived in a Rajbanshi village in Panchagarh District for 12 months, undertaking interviews and participant observation. Shorter trips continued over the following 10 years.
10. Here ‘post-colonial’ refers to the timeframe of conditions rather than carrying any theoretical assumptions related to concepts of postcoloniality.
11. See Martin and Hamilton (Citation1838), Hodgson (Citation1847, Citation1849), Latham (Citation1851), Dalton (Citation1872), Hunter (Citation1876) and Risley (Citation1891).
12. Alternative spellings include Kochh and Kocch.
13. Many larger tribal appellations, such as Bodo, Kachari, Mech, Newar and Dhimal, are linked to the modern Rajbanshi community as ancestral groups. Bodo is also related in linguistic and biological research to other tribes such as Kachari and Mech (Van Driem Citation2001). Furthermore, these tribal groups are indigenous to northeastern India and are believed to represent autochthonous groups from which various modern ethnic groups, including the Rajbanshi, have emerged (Hodgson Citation1849; Pulloppillil and Aluckal Citation1997; Risley Citation1891).
14. In the lineage of the god Siva.
15. For earlier research, see Vasu (Citation1922), Gait (Citation1963) and Barua (Citation1966).
16. Burunjis (histories; literally: a storehouse to teach an ignorant person) are historical chronicles written during the Ahom period in Assam.
17. The list comprises those socially and economically depressed classes considered to be outside the Hindu varna system, but within the larger Hindu caste system. Synonymous terms are Dalit (downtrodden or oppressed) and Untouchable. Although integral to traditional Indian society, the Indian government does not recognize the caste system. These lists form part of the Constitution not as religious expressions but as grounds for special treatment of socially and economically backward communities whose names sometimes indicate hereditary occupational groups of low social standing. Nevertheless, the prevailing social ethos behind these lists still reflect prevailing religious and social hierarchies (see Official Site of the Government of West Bengal website, http://www.westbengal.gov.in, The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950, http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/subord/rule3a.htm).
18. Further ethnographic research is needed to investigate how different appellations are used and with what assumptions and social/cultural values. These names appear to be employed only as labels without any concrete sociological or anthropological meaning.
19. See List of Scheduled Tribes of India, http://www.tribal.nic.in/Content/list%20of%20Scheduled%20Tribes%20in%20India.aspx
20. Racial affinities are elaborated in terms of descent from such tribal groups as the Garo, Rabha, Kachari, Lalung or Mikir (Gait Citation1963, referenced in Sengupta Citation1993).
21. For uniformity, the spelling ‘Panchanan Barman’ is used throughout the current article and in the extracted quotations. See Mandal (Citation2002) and Ray (Citation2007) for details of the life and times of Panchanan Barman.
22. Compare ‘About the Koch Rajbanshis,' at Centre for Koch Rajbanshi Studies and Development (CKRSD) http://kochrajbanshicentre.org.
23. Jotedars are tenants with landholding rights, while adhiars are share-croppers. Ray and Ray (Citation1975) present a historical analysis of rural politics in Bengal.
24. For alternative views of these relationships in North Bengal see Samir Kumar Das’ (2015) discussion of Bengali language sources.
25. Members of the upper classes of Bengal, who may include Rajbanshi.
26. Literally husband (pati), vow (vrata), also known as shree dharma (wife's duty), refers to a chaste and loyal wife, a woman whose devotion to her husband is complete.
27. Bride price is associated with higher status for women.
28. For instance Rajbanshi Pride, http://rajbanshipride.blogspot.ca/