By putting gender at the centre of her analysis of the multiple histories of conflict in Indias northeast, Sanghamitra Choudhury allows us to see them in a fresh new way, as well as to point to novel possibilities of conciliation in the region. This is a complex and nuanced account.
Faisal Devji, University of Oxford, UK
Sanghamitra Choudhurys work on Women in Conflict Situations harnesses strong reflects and a critical probe into the struggle for third worlds survival and security. Based on extensive field work and firsthand knowledge of the area, where she belongs to, the work incorporates the issues of conflict, identity and autonomy of women in violent armed conflict, with a critical eye, nestling it with questions of social injustice, equality and peace. Her work is a major contribution to the long neglected injustice and alienation and an appropriate response for human conflict in North East India.
Anup Datta, North Bengal University, India
Dr Sanghamitras work on the role of women in conflict situations is an excellent treatise. The study highlights the various roles played by the women during an internal armed conflicts and how they can be targeted by both the state as well as non-state actors. With the stunning display of academic mastery, Dr Sanghmitra provides details of cases examined by her. The author has brought out very useful and pertinent suggestions which would be of immense value to policy makers.
U C Jha, Former Wing Commander and Independent Researcher
Women and Conflict in India
This book analyzes the impact that prolonged sociopolitical conflict in India has had on political and social spaces for women. Focusing in particular on Assam in North-East India, it looks at how the conflict can be restricting, and yet can also have the potential to expand these spaces for women owing to the collapsing of boundaries of gender roles, thereby creating niche areas that may be leveraged for sociopolitical transformation.
Based on empirical material collected from in-depth interviews with individuals on both sides of the conflict, the book locates the analysis in both a legal and political context. It examines the causes, dynamics and impact of the ethnopolitical conflicts in Assam, as well as the efficacy and outcomes of capacity-building programmes aimed at rehabilitating the surrendered militants as well as assisting affected women. The book goes on to look at the role played by civil society, especially the Mahila Shanti Sena (Women Peace Corp), in promoting conflict transformation. It highlights the preventive, mitigative, and adaptive measures taken by the women and their role as agents of peace in the volatile zones of North-East India.
Analyzing the changing role of women in conflict situations, as well as the legal measures and regulatory mechanisms in place for women in vulnerable pockets of India, this book is a useful contribution to Gender Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, and South Asian Politics.
Sanghamitra Choudhury is Assistant Professor in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Sikkim University, India, and is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford, UK. Her research interests include Gender and Peace Building, Human Rights, Folklore and Identity Issues in India, and Social Movements in India.
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3Sex Trafficking in South Asia
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6Dalit Womens Education in Modern India
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8Women and the Politics of Representation in Southeast Asia
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9Women and Conflict in India
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First published 2016
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2016 Sanghamitra Choudhury
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Women and Conflict in India is an attempt to paint a picture of women in an armed-conflict situation and to describe the peacemaking efforts in North-East India. The book highlights the gendered conflict prevention practices, with a specific focus on the early prevention of violence and the nonviolent transformation of conflicts, primarily in the states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. The study offers examples from the less-known North-Eastern states and shows how women contribute to key aspects of good governance, giving a detailed account of how women find themselves at the receiving end of enormous suffering when conflict takes a violent turn.
Peace is more important than so-called development, as only peace can lead to a good quality of life not affluence, as the history of civilization indicates. In this book, the author has rightly pointed out that positive peace is associated with the reworking of structural inequalities faced by women.
I personally feel that this subject is crucial and has not been discussed widely. I appreciate Dr Sanghamita Choudhury, for bringing out this very comprehensive treatise covering all the North-Eastern states of India. I do hope that this work will help all the eight North-Eastern states to take a clear cut decision for framing a suitable policy that takes account of varied culture and lifestyles that might protect and promote human rights within the vulnerable sections of the region.
