XXI Morung Lecture: Learning from the terrain of struggle

Exploring the intersection of activism, journalism, scholarship

Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 18

Activism, journalism and scholarship are spaces that are viewed or are supposedly secluded from one another.  But is it? 

The XXI Morung Lecture, delivered by Aheli Moitra on January 18, revolved around exploring the interaction, or rather, the intersection between the three spheres. The lecture, titled ‘Learning from the terrain of struggle – Building power. Challenging boundaries. Activism, journalism & scholarship,’ was held at the Lighthouse Church, Dimapur 

Moitra, is a former journalist, who worked with The Morung Express, and current researcher at the Department of Archaeology, History, Religious Studies and Theology at the UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. Before her stint in Nagaland, starting around 2011, she worked in Mumbai where she trained at The Indian Express and DNA (Daily News and Analysis). According to her, she left media, went into research and came back to journalism “because I thought journalism was one of the best ways to carry forward human rights activism by making, or by plugging the people into the conversation, and not doing the research in an institution, behind closed doors.”

For the lecture, she drew from her PhD dissertation, titled, ‘The Morung Express: Naganess, indigeneity and religion,’ which she successfully defended in March 2024. 

Moitra, whose doctoral research focused on the newspaper, discussed her personal journey from journalism to academia.  “As a journalistic practitioner, my work proposed to theoresize the work of The Morung Express, and particularly the ways in which it covered issues around indigeneity and religion,” she said.

She detailed her work with the Dimapur-based newspaper, highlighting its origins in Naga activism and its commitment to alternative journalism vis-à-vis universal human rights issues alongside Naga-specific concerns.  

Moitra's research investigated how the newspaper produces knowledge and builds power within the context of Nagaland's unique socio-political landscape.  

Central to her analysis was the concept of the "morung,” a traditional Naga village institution serving as a space for learning and community activities.  Moitra connected this historical concept to The Morung Express’ professed role as a modern “site of pedagogy,” fostering co-learning between contributors, journalists and readers. She highlighted the newspaper's focus on decolonisation, publishing content from diverse sources, including Christian and indigenous news platforms, to offer contrarian viewpoints on local issues.

Moitra's research examined how concepts of Naganess, indigeneity, and religion are constructed, challenged and negotiated within the newspaper's discourse.  She argued that the paper demonstrates an understanding of the “powerlessness” faced by indigenous peoples globally, while also recognising the importance of context-specific pathways to power.  

Drawing on Prabir Purkayastha’s work on technology and science, Moitra proposed that the paper fosters "knowledge as commons," making information accessible to all. The concept emphasises the newspaper’s role in making information accessible to all, democratising knowledge production and fostering a sense of shared ownership. Moitra highlighted the collaborative nature of this process, involving the contributions of journalists, editors, designers, printers, distributors, and others, alongside the financial and ideological investments of the founders. She also acknowledged the constraints imposed by factors such as press laws, political pressures, community sensitivities, and market forces.

During the question and answer session with the audience, mostly students, the discussion touched on topics including but not limited to media censorship and moderation, journalistic integrity, readership, pursuing higher studies abroad, her observations about the Nagas as an “outsider,” and areas for improvement. 

Science, technology and how the indigenous relates to neighbouring communities were areas that she would want the Naga community to work, or put focus on. “I think science and technology, too, are extremely key,” she said, while adding, “The true way to understand what is going on with Indigenous peoples is to understand how they relate to non-Indigenous people…”

The Publisher and Editor of The Morung Express, Dr Akum Longchari, in his concluding remarks, noted that the lecture and subsequent discussion highlighted the need for greater interaction between the media community, civil society organisations, educational institutions, scholars and members of the public. 

While stating that it was the first time that the Morung Lecture touched on journalism, “This lecture emphasizes the need for us just to sit back and just to take a step back and to reflect in the way that Aheli has done...”

According to him, the lecture series is an idea to rearticulate and re-imagine power, change and knowledge, and through which, new knowledge would emerge.