Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance

The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam

Series: 

Author:
Kunal Debnath
The identity politics of the householder Naths (Yogis), on the one hand, is one of the oldest and most persistent identity assertions in Bengal and Assam. On the other, for an array of reasons, the identity assertion of the householder Naths of Bengal and Assam has failed to draw academic curiosity so far. Since the late nineteenth century, a segment of the Naths, largely educated and elite, has been crafting their identity as Brahman grounded on their “origin myth”, negotiating with the British colonial administration through different census enumerations, as well as internal social reforms. One of the primary reasons for their current lagging is that the Naths never politicised their identity and demands, and did not mobilise themselves in the democratic political arena.
Copyright Year:
2024
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978-90-04-68938-1
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13 Nov 2023
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978-90-04-68937-4
Publication:
15 Nov 2023
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Kunal Debnath, Ph.D. (2022), Rabindra Bharati University, is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rabindra Bharati University. Currently, he is working on the politics of identity and marginalisation, such as caste, gender, ethnic, and other vulnerable groups. He has published research papers with publishers of international repute.
"This book brings forth the hidden history of resistance of the marginalised Naths in Eastern India. It is a must read for all those interested in the subaltern history of caste in the region." Professor Biswajit Ghosh, Former Vice Chancellor and Professor of Sociology (Retired), The University of Burdwan, India



“Kunal Debnath's Caste, Marginalisation and Resistance presents an incisive account of the identity assertion of the Nath-Yogis of Eastern India, precisely Bengal and Assam, which has received scant academic attention so far. He highlights the community's marginality and exclusion as well as struggle for resistance during the colonial and post-colonial periods, and also seeks to understand why despite having a long history of identity assertion, the Nath-Yogis continue to remain in wilderness - socially, economically and politically. That the author himself belongs to the Nath-Yogi community enabled him to attempt an effective cross-fertilisation of theorisation and lived experience which makes the study all the more fascinating. Based on archival research and extensive field investigation coupled with the insider’s insights, this volume, I am sure, is going to be a worthy contribution to the burgeoning literature on identity politics in India.” Partha Pratim Basu, Professor of International Relations, Jadavpur University, India
Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

List of Tables

Abbreviations

1 Introduction Why the Study of the Naths of Bengal and Assam Is Pertinent?
 1 Locating the Problem

 2 Rationale of This Study
 2.1 Why This Study Is Necessary

 2.2 Why the Naths Are So Far Neglected in Academic or Non-academic Discussions

 2.3 Why the Naths of Bengal and Assam Are Studied Here Together


 3 Thematic Outline: Lived Experience and Theorisation from Inside
 3.1 Whether Lived Experience or Theory

 3.2 Representing the Naths through Lived Experience and Theorisation from Inside


 4 A Brief Overview of the Chapters


2 The Naths (Yogis) Identity, Formation of Caste in Bengal and Assam, and Their Marginalisation
 1 Introduction

 2 Antiquity of the Naths

 3 The Naths in Bengal and Assam: Early Phases

 4 The Identity of the Naths: a Religious Sect or a Caste

 5 Marginalisation and the Naths of Bengal and Assam

 6 Conclusion


3 Caste Status and Resistance of the Naths of Bengal Pre-colonial to Post-colonial Times
 1 Introduction

 2 The Naths of Bengal: Are They Native or Came from Outside?

 3 Status after Marginalisation: during the Pre-colonial and Early-Colonial Period

 4 Status in the Colonial Period and Role of the Caste Associations
 4.1 A Brief Caste Profile during the Colonial Period

 4.2 Bargaining and Negotiations within and Outside

 4.3 Status after the Formation of Associations and Their Negotiations during Different Census Operations


 5 Status in the Post-colonial Period and Role of the Caste Associations

 6 Observation from the Fields


4 Caste Status and Resistance of the Naths of Assam Pre-colonial to Post-colonial Times
 1 Introduction

 2 The Naths of the Brahmaputra Valley

 3 The Naths of the Barak Valley

 4 Status of the Naths of Assam in the Colonial Period and Their Identity Assertion
 4.1 A Brief Caste Profile

 4.2 Caste Name and Appellation

 4.3 Controversy on Scheduled Caste or Depressed Caste Status


 5 Status of the Naths of Assam in the Post-colonial Period
 5.1 Controversy on the obc Status


 6 The Role of the Caste Associations

 7 The Nath-Yogi Development Council and Recent Controversy

 8 Observation from the Fields


5 Socio-economic Status of the Naths of West Bengal and Assam A Present-Day Comparative Study
 1 Introduction

 2 Caste Specificity of the Naths of West Bengal and Assam

 3 Possession of the obc Certificate and Attitude towards It

 4 Economic Profile of the Naths of West Bengal and Assam

 5 Educational Profile of the Naths of West Bengal and Assam

 6 Observation


6 Mainstream Politics and the Naths of West Bengal and Assam Assessing the Nature of Politicisation
 1 Introduction

 2 The Nath-Yogis and the States: Chronicles from Antiquity
 2.1 The Nath-Yogis and Hindu Nationalism


 3 Attitude of the Naths of West Bengal and Assam towards the Politicisation: Assessing the Present

 4 The Nature of Politicisation of the Naths
 4.1 The Naths of West Bengal in Mainstream Politics

 4.2 The Naths of Assam in Mainstream Politics


 5 Observations

 6 Conclusion


7 Caste, Marginalisation, and the Politics of Identity of the Naths of Bengal and Assam Search for a Pattern
 1 Introduction

 2 The Politics of Identity, Caste, and Marginality
 2.1 The Politics of Identity and the Nath Question

 2.2 Caste, Census, and the Nath Question

 2.3 Perspectives of Caste and the Naths

 2.4 Why Ambedkaraite Caste Politics Is Not Applicable to the Naths


 3 The Politics of Exclusion and the Naths of West Bengal and Assam
 3.1 Exclusion during the Early-Medieval Period

 3.2 Exclusion during the Colonial Period

 3.3 Exclusion in Contemporary Times


 4 The Past Constituting the Present


8 Some Tentative Concluding Observations
 1 Summing Up

 2 Justifying the Research Objectives

 3 Perspectives to Study the Nath Identity
 3.1 Historical Perspective

 3.2 Ideological Perspective

 3.3 Institutionalist Perspective

 3.4 Constructivist Perspective

 3.5 Instrumentalist Perspective

 3.6 Power Discourse Perspective


 4 Some Critical Theoretical Analysis

 5 Final Words


Bibliography

Index

This book would be of immediate interest of research scholars, post-graduate students, academic libraries, and institutions. Social sciences in general and caste studies, studies in the politics of marginalisation, historical studies, political sociology, and political science in particular are the relevant subject areas.
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