Dr Sandeep Gupta (R) and Dr Suraj Beri
Volume argues development projects shape identity, inequality and governance in the region
Lumami, March 11 (MExN): Sociologists from Nagaland University, the only Central University in the state, have published a new academic volume examining how infrastructure development shapes social life in Northeast India.
Titled “Sociology of Infrastructure: Perspectives from Northeast India,” the book is edited by Dr Sandeep Gupta, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Nagaland University, and Dr Suraj Beri, Assistant Professor in the same department. The volume was published by Rawat Publications in 2026.
The editors argue that infrastructure is never neutral and cannot be understood in isolation from the social systems within which it operates. Drawing on extensive empirical research across the Northeast, the book examines roads, dams, digital networks, markets, health systems and other forms of infrastructure not merely as technical projects but as social institutions embedded in cultural relationships, political structures and everyday life.
Based on these findings, the volume calls for a shift in development thinking. Infrastructure planning, the authors argue, must be rooted in social and cultural realities and treated as a form of social investment that affects mobility, identity, social cohesion, environmental sustainability and equitable access to services.
Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Prof Jagadish K Patnaik commended the authors for addressing an issue of critical importance to the region and local communities. He said the book demonstrates that infrastructure is not simply a matter of technical development but a powerful social force shaping identity, inequality, governance and everyday life across Northeast India.
“Through critical sociological analysis, the authors highlight how roads, bridges, digital networks and public utilities influence social relationships, political processes and patterns of inclusion and exclusion in the region,” Patnaik said, adding that the publication represents a significant academic contribution from Nagaland University to national and regional scholarship on development and society.
According to the editors, infrastructure profoundly influences how people relate to each other, how communities access services and how opportunities and inequalities are structured in society. The book highlights how invisible social relationships shape the functioning and accessibility of infrastructure, affecting how institutions such as the state, markets and governance systems respond to different communities.
Dr Sandeep Gupta noted that the book comes at a time when infrastructure-led development is increasingly prioritised in the Northeast. “Based on fieldwork conducted in culturally diverse and geographically complex regions, we show that infrastructure should be seen not only as a physical asset but also as a social artefact,” he said.
He added that infrastructure often becomes a site where identity is negotiated, citizenship is expressed, inequalities are reproduced and community resilience is formed. Gupta expressed hope that the volume would serve not only as an academic resource but also as a platform for dialogue between disciplines, policy and practice, and between scholarship and society.
Co-editor Dr Suraj Beri said everyday interactions with infrastructure—such as access to drinking water, distance to hospitals and schools, availability of internet connectivity or transport links to administrative centres—reveal deeper social realities. These experiences, he noted, reflect the priorities of planning systems, governance structures and long-term patterns of inclusion and exclusion within society.
The book also challenges policy approaches that evaluate infrastructure primarily through quantitative indicators such as kilometres of roads, megawatts of electricity or internet speeds. While such metrics are important, the contributors emphasise the “sociological life” of infrastructure—examining how roads shape mobility and livelihoods, how hydroelectric projects affect community relations and ecological balance, and how digital systems may expand connectivity while creating new forms of inequality.
Another key theme explored in the volume is the relationship between infrastructure, ecology, citizenship and governance. The research suggests that infrastructure development is an ongoing process shaped by negotiation among communities, governments and environmental realities.
In borderland regions such as Northeast India, where questions of inclusion, representation and regional development carry significant social and political importance, the authors argue that infrastructure policy must move beyond economic metrics and recognise the broader role infrastructure plays in democratic governance, social stability and the everyday lives of citizens.
