Karatoya : North Bengal University journal of History, Vol. 17

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/5674

Editorials

On behalf of the Department of History, University of North Bengal, it is our privilege to present to the readers Volume 17 (2024) of the Karatoyā: North Bengal University Journal of History. The present volume has incorporated research papers covering a wide range of issues and from various sub-disciplines of History. The empirical works dealing with diverse spheres of identity politics, freedom movements, electoral politics, territorial struggles at the supra-local level, the study of sculptures, heritage, social history, ethnicity, sports history, women’s history, etc., have enriched its contents. The volume also includes three review articles. It is being published after all the articles have been refereed, peer reviewed and critically edited with the ISSN 2229-4880.

It is our solemn duty to express our deepest gratitude to our Honourable Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and Finance Officer for their generous concern for ‘Academic Endeavour’. We are also grateful to our colleagues in the Department of History for their warm encouragement and necessary cooperation for publishing this journal.

We are also thankful to all the contributors for providing valuable research papers. Finally, the officials and the staff of the North Bengal University Press deserve the heartiest thanks for their cooperation in printing the journal within a limited span of time.

 

Editors

Sudash Lama, Ph.D.

Dipsikha Acharya Ph.D.



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    Identity Politics, Ethnic Conflict and Altruistic Sentiments: Situating Assam in 1960
    (University of North Bengal, 2024) Sen, Arpita
    In Assam, the perennial discords between the indigenous/native Assamese and immigrant/refugee Bengalis have posed serious challenges to peaceful cohabitation and administration. The year 1960 proved tumultuous in Assam’s history as these two communities clashed with each other. This paper traces the roots of ethnic conflict in Assam to British colonial policy of encouraging Muslim Bengali immigrants from erstwhile East Bengal to clear forests and cultivate in Assam, (a flow which soon became unrestrained); the middle class educated Bengalis who threatened the livelihood of the Assamese in oil refineries, tea gardens, government services and business; the introduction of Bengali as the official language in Assam from 1826 to 1873; and the Sylhet Referendum in 1947 which ousted Sylhet from Assam and led to an unprecedented refugee influx that led to immense resentment among the Assamese. An attempt to declare Assamese as the state language fuelled Bengali discontent and led to the political radicalization of the Assamese. In 1960, violent clashes erupted, especially in the Bengali-speaking district of Cachar. The disturbances were politicized by the political parties in Assam. This article also highlights the humanitarian side of ethnic conflict, which often lies in obscurity, with an illustration of how the Assamese people helped and supported a Bengali family at the height of communal tensions, thus giving expression to altruistic sentiments.