North-East India: The Horizon Of Anthropology

Book Code: 1111008615144

K.C. Mahanta

ABOUT THE BOOK

This collection contains an assortment of life-patterns of the multi-ethnic tribal and non-tribal communities of North East India. The work reflects the life-ways of the people since around the onset of the closing three decades of the last century. That was the period of heavy impact of Western as well as pan-Indian socio-cultural norms of the people of the region. The work highlights the people's way of absorption and assimilation of the neo-West-oriented as well as pen-Indian socio-cultural elements in their emergent life-patterns.As the North Eastern People's traditional life-ways are fast disappearing under the impact of multiple forces and factors. The work in this collection should serve the purpose of bench-marketing the trend and quantum of change in the foreseeable future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

About The Author:- Dr. Khagen Chandra Mahanta, M Sc (Sau.), PhD (Gau.) was a faculty member of the Department of Anthropology, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh-786004, Assam, India for 32 years. Over the years he had been teaching Social and Cultural Anthropology to the post-Graduate Classes of the University. As the seniormost Professor of the Department, besides teaching, he was actively engaged in providing guidance and supervision to researchers for PhD degree of the University. As a faculty member and research guide and supervision, he covered a wide range of ethnographic study among some thirty five tribal and non-tribal communities of the whole of North-East India. He also contributed papers on Scheduled Tribes of Assam for Publishing in the Encyclopaedia Profile of Indian Tribes by the National Institute of Rural Development Hyderabad, over and above contributing papers on the Scheduled Casters of Assam for publishing by the Assam Institute of Research for Tribals and Scheduled Castes, Guwahati. His publications totaling 42 papers mostly deal with the current burning socio-cultural p[roblems of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes of North-East India. Some of his works are concerned with the study of environment vis--vis resource utilization in North-east India.Further Dr. Mahanta edited as guest-editor an international interdisciplinary journal of Man-Environment relationship entitled "People of the Himalayas-Ecology, Culture, Development and Change" published by Kamla-Raj Enterprises in Delhi in 1997.Dr. Mahanta also rendered a notable service to the UPSC as IAS Examiner in Anthropology since 1990 for 4 years and also as Head Examiner in Anthropology for one year in 1975. The Government of Assam also appointed Dr. Mahanta for lecturing in the pre-Examination Training Course for Central Civil Services (IAS etc.) Preliminary Examination, 1998.On the top of all these, the New York Academy of Sciences offered him the Membership of the Academy in June, 1995 on account of his eradition.

CONTENTS

Contents:- CONTENTS:- Preface 1. Anthropology and the Community: An Overview 2. The Classical Concept of Family in India 3. The Problem of Tribal Tradition and Identity in Assam 4. Hill Tribes of North East India 5. Cultural Interaction Between Assam and the Rest of India 6. A Town of Assam and Its Impact on the Hinterland 7. Socio-economic Changes in an Immigrant Sema Village in Assam 8. A Study of Dependability and Support in Old Age in the Assamese Society 9. Barter System in a Fishing Community of Assam 10. The Mithun: Socio-economic Significance Among the Nishis Arunachal Pradesh 11. Features of Kalibartta Kinship System 12. Gift-giving, Reciprocity and the Institution of Bhal-manuh in a Scheduled Caste Community of Assam 13. Socio-economic Status of the Aged: A Case Study 14. Industrial Organisations and the Universities in North-east India 15. The Concept of Soul, Sin and Religious Merit amon the Kaibarttas of Monpur: A Fishing Community of Assam 16. The Folk Concept of Illness and Traditional Medical Practices 17. Vaishnavism in Assam an its Impact on the Noctes of Arunachal Pradesh 18. Vaishnavism among the Noctes: An Ethnographic Study 19. A Study of Ethno-medicines in Assam: A General Perspective 20. Shamanistic Dance and Treatment of Disease in Assam 21. Casually to Environment: Sequel to Unsustainable Development 22. Over-exploitation of North Sub-Himalayan Vegetal Resources: Its Impact on the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam Index