North Eastern Social Research Centre (NESRC) on completion of 25th anniversary
Vizokhole Ltu
Senior Research Fellow (NESRC)
Northeast region offers a trove of diversity, rich cultural heritage, linguistic diversity, traditions, customs, and numerous ethnic communities. Given the diversity, the region equally faces numerous challenges including militarization, ethnic conflict, poverty, insurgency, and infrastructure deficits. Amidst the political and social unrest that marked the region’s governance, NESRC was founded on 1st March 2000. Founded at the turn of the century at a time of transition in the region symbolised by the birth of regional political parties, human rights organisations and civil society groups in response to nationalist struggles, ethnic conflicts and awakening of the Northeast, the mandate of NESRC is to join other individuals and organisations in the region who analyse the background of what some perceive as unrest and terrorism and others as the search of the Northeast for an identity of its own. That understanding and search are essential for peace with justice which goes beyond ceasefire and cessation of armed hostilities to mutual respect, understanding and reconciliation. As NESRC celebrates its 25th years of existence, it calls upon diverse stakeholders, within and outside of the region to foster collaborative and constructive engagements that promotes inclusive and just development for the communities and the region.
But why Social Research?
In its simplest definition, social research refers to the systematic study of human behavior, relationships, and institutions within a society. It primarily aims to understand social phenomena, identify patterns and trends, and develop theories to explain social behaviour. But why social research? Social research is an important tool for understanding the complexities of human societies and relationships. It plays a pivotal role in identifying social problems, informing policy decisions, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. Through systematic observation, data collection, and analysis, social research provides valuable insights into the social world, enabling us to address pressing issues and find ways to navigate the future for a progressive and inclusive development. One of the primary importance of social research, particularly in the Northeast, is to be able to identify and understand social problems by dealing with issues such as social justice, ethnicity, militarization, impoverish, marginalisation, inequality, ethnic conflict, environmental issues, climate change, amongst others.
As mentioned, at the turn of the century, Northeast India was experiencing violent suppression of autonomy movements across the region, barring Arunachal Pradesh. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, granted the security forces and the police enormous powers to deal with political unrest in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura. Following the ceasefire between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCM-IM) in 1997, the counter-insurgency operations were toned down in Nagaland but AFSPA remained in force in most states. The last decade of the 20th century was also when volunteer-based advocacy groups got active and played a crucial role in documenting human rights violations by the security forces as well as by armed militants. They included groups like the Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) in Nagaland, Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS) in Assam, the Committee on Human Rights (COHR) in Manipur and others. These movements marked a significant milestone in the fight for human rights since they served as vital platforms for civil society groups, especially when most other avenues of protest and organising had become difficult to sustain. These civil society organisations functioned as non-party political formations (NPPF) when even alternative forces like trade unions even in the tea industry that has a sizeable labour force were politically weak and unable to leverage their numbers into a meaningful campaign against the prevailing exploitative conditions.
In such a scenario, NESRC was born at the end of the last century that was marked by a combination of struggles, widespread civic unrest, demands for autonomy, search for a new identity and democratic changes amid what many people in the Seven Sisters Region felt was neglect, apathy and arrogance, by successive governments. Because of the feeling that the leaders at the state and national level often neglected the issues raised by these movements, there was widespread anger against the local and national leaders, combined with a pervasive culture of fear. This environment made it difficult for various civil society organisations to collaborate and associate with one another. There was thus the possibility of different social and cultural communities, as well as occupational groups, working in isolation and retreating to their universe. Hence, NESRC was born at this time when there was a great need for creative spaces within civil society that allowed for intellectual reflection and informed intervention on political issues in equal measure.
The Journey So Far
Amidst the difficult developments that are intrinsic to the region’s search for an identity of its own, one noticed the growth of various types of fundamentalism, religious, ideological, tribal, amongst others. Land, identity, and autonomy have been central to all of these issues. Responding to challenges, NESRC took part in the form of research on issues of relevance to the people of the Northeast. Accordingly, areas such as land, regional and indigenous issues, ethnic identity, resource management, gender implications of the processes that the region was passing through, and conflicts and peace processes stood out as areas of primary importance. These priorities have been reflected in the research, field engagement and seminars conducted by NESRC during a quarter of a century. Priority was accorded to engage the youth of the region to get involved in an analytical search for and understanding of the situation and possible responses to the challenges.
The response of NESRC is visible in the 67 studies, 29 national or regional seminars, and 47 local level seminars and workshops it has done during the first 24 years of its existence. Sharing the knowledge generated by NESRC studies is one of their objectives. Equally important is networking with researchers and civil society groups for advocacy for policy changes in favour of marginalised. Another engagement of disseminating knowledge with bigger audience is professional and newspaper articles. During 24 years of its existence, its staff members have published 102 professional articles and 204 newspaper articles in English and Assamese newspapers. Some of them, for example those on the water policy, generated much discussion in the newspapers and were helpful in building a network around an issue.
Nagaland specific, NESRC had done a number of field-based studies in different issues. In fact, the first monograph of NESRC was on Traditional System of Forest Conservation In North East India: The Angami Tribe of Nagaland by Alphonsus D’Souza (2001), in which the traditional forest management systems of the Angamis was studied. The monograph attempts to find out how Angamis have managed to preserve their forest, despite forests in many parts of Nagaland are being destroyed. Most importantly, whether traditional forest management systems will survive the new onslaught of the commercial forces. Another important study done, particularly on Nagaland, is the development-induced displacement The Challenge of Development: Displacement in Nagaland 1947-2010. The book studies the extent of land acquisition and displacement from 1947-2010, its impact on the people affected by, and proposes a development paradigm that can combine economic growth and infrastructure building with people’s development. Likewise, other numerous studies on customary laws and gender implications, peace and conflicts, ecology and conservation, land and tribal identity, amongst others were done.
The latest publication on palm oil plantation titled, Palmed off: Socio-Economic and Environment Impacts of Oil Palm in India’s Northeast, Nagaland was one of the four selected states. In this regard, three districts of Nagaland vis-à-vis Niuland, Chümoukedima and Wokha, where palm oil plantation have been initiated were looked at. Additionally, two districts of Nagaland (Mon and Chümoukedima) are part of an ongoing study on tribal land issues and the constitutional provision, among the four selected states. In conclusion, social research centres play a vital role in improving society by driving innovation, improving healthcare outcomes, informing policy decisions, promoting cultural understanding, amongst others. As such, it is important that we continue to support and invest in social research, as they have the potential to drive positive change and improve the lives of individuals and communities around the world.
