Department of Sociology

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The present Department of Sociology was established as a combined Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology by the University of North Bengal in 1976. Professor Niren Ch. Choudhury, eminent anthropologist, was the first Professor and Head of the Department who provided the leadership in the formative years of the Department.Professor R.K.Bhadra and Dr.Namita Choudhury were associated with him since inception of this department and helped in the process of its development. The bifurcation between sociology and anthropology took place in 2001 and thus the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology was renamed Department of Sociology and a separate Department of Anthropology was established under the Science Faculty. From its beginning the Department of Sociology has been training students for three courses: M.A., M. Phil. and Ph.D. The Department has produced more than 30 Ph.Ds and more than one thousand Masters. Besides the two main programmes the Department invites visiting faculty, from the reputed national and international universities and the faculty of this department visit the universities abroad on visiting faculty programme and for attending seminars/conferences. The teachers of the Department encourage students to take part in academic discussions outside the class-room interaction and encourage them to present papers in seminars/conferences. In recognition of the good work done by the Department the University Grants’ Commission (UGC) has granted the Special Assistance Programme (DRS – 1) in 2007 which has facilitated undertaking a good number of research projects on issues relating to gender question and the problem of ethnicity in the North Bengal region. The Department has been organizing a national level seminar every year on the gender and ethnicity related issues, which constitute the focal theme of the SAP. As a part of the programme the Department publishes Occasional Papers and edited volumes based on the research articles that are produced under different SAP related programs.

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    Construction and Negotiation of Identities among the Tibetan Refugees in India
    (University of North Bengal, 2022-03) Bhutia, Sonam Choden
    Tibetans fled Tibet after the Chinese occupation of the country in the year 1959. Tibetans have been living in exile for more than six decades and a large number of Tibetans have been born in host country India. Refugee hood of the Tibetans in India is a complex issue. Nonetheless, Tibetans born in India, are allowed to seek citizenship as per the enactment of the Indian Citizenship Act (Amendment) of 1986, which allows for acquiring of Indian citizenship by anyone born in India between January 26, 1950, and July 1, 1987. This has made a large section of the second and third generation Tibetans eligible for Indian citizenship. The young Tibetans are showing great interest in taking up Indian citizenship for many practical reasons; they want to have a secure livelihood and social existence and get rid of the confusions and dilemma among them over their sense of belongingness. No group of people can live with confusions about their identity or belongingness. This paper, therefore, has made an attempt to understand the Tibetans’ sense of belongingness by recording their personal narratives of their experiences in their everyday life. The paper locates the Tibetans living in India in terms of construction and negotiation of their identity vis-àvis Indian citizens in their everyday life.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Identity Crisis in a Cross-cultural Paradox: My Experience
    (University of North Bengal, 2019-03) Bhutia, Sonam Choden
    “Identity” is a sum total of perceptions one accepts, imbibes and is fostered on by the society. It is related to both ascribed and acquired social constructs like caste, class, religion and language. Though caste, class, religion are important components of a person’s identity it is through language that the unique ethnic, social, religion and cultural identity is expressed. Language in both written and spoken form is the factor that binds other components of a person’s identity and it is crucial for cultural preservation. Related to the issue of cultural preservation, one finds the role of language especially in case of Tibetan identity. Despite the Chinese insistence that Tibet has always been a part of China, the Tibetan religion, customs, culture and language preserve distinctive features supporting the right to self-determination and independence. In exile, Tibetans under the guidance of His Holiness Dalai Lama have been successful in keeping their identity alive. However, in the recent times, the fear of losing their identity is specially felt when there is a shift away from Tibetan language; with many scattered around the world the Tibetans are under pressure to adopt languages other than their mother tongue. Sociologically, it is stated that endogamous marriage helps in preserving racial purity and culture. Tibetans marrying outside the community face many challenges of which one is the problem of identity. As a daughter of Tibetan father, a Bhutanese mother and the wife of a Sikkimese Bhutia, the confusion arises as to where I, as an individual, stand and face Identity crisis in certain situations in my everyday life. Starting from my experience as a person faced with multiple identity “tags”, the paper attempts to bring forth issues and dilemmas of identity faced by children of mixed parentage. It also highlights the challenges and issues of identity that come up in inter-community marriages.