Browsing by Subject "Indigenous"

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Open Access
Exploring Roots of Ethnic Convergence of the Indigenous and the Exogenous Hill People: A Historical Study of Colonial Darjeeling
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Sarkar, Tahiti
The Article posits that the mid-nineteenth to mid- twentieth century colonial material imperatives had congealed impacts on the indigenous people and the exogenous hill people settled in colonial Darjeeling. The study explores how the dialectics of such transformations gave rise to ethnocide of the indigenous population at the one end, and strong ethnic consolidation of the hill populations on the other. The idea of 'Other' being different from the people living in the plains was purposefully injected in the minds of the hill people by the colonizers which produced synergic effects. Throughout the colonial period, Darjeeling was administered differently. This idea of separate administration injected aspiration in the minds of the hill people who consolidated under a single umbrella of Nepali language as the lingua franca of the majority hill people. The hill people preferred Gorkha ethnic consolidation in place of Nepali to distinguish them from Nepalis of Nepal. The Article establishes that such ethnic consolidation has had its deep-seated roots in the nature of colonial governability.
Open Access
Indigenous Women and their Tenacious Strive for Forest Rights - An Indian Perspective
(University of North Bengal, 2024) Rai, Ashima
In the forestry systems of developing countries, distinct roles are often assumed by men and women. However, women frequently encounter systemic disadvantages stemming from cultural norms, socioeconomic barriers, and institutional biases that restrict their access to and control over forest resources and related economic benefits. Despite their essential contributions to the sustainable use and preservation of forest ecosystems, women’s roles continue to be underrecognized and undervalued. Policies and legal frameworks that govern land and forest management, which disregard gender dynamics and fail to adopt a rights-based perspective, risk perpetuating the legal and social marginalization of women. Such gender-blind approaches exclude women from decision-making processes and deny them fair access to the advantages derived from forest and land resources. This paper critically analyes current legal provisions, particularly focusing on India’s Forest Rights Act of 2006, to investigate how existing forest governance structures adversely affect lowincome populations, especially women. It also proposes targeted reforms designed to strengthen gender equity, enhance women's rights, and promote both social justice and ecological integrity within India’s forest management practices.