Workshop: Performing Identity: Ethnicity and Ethno-nationalism in the South-east Asian Borderland Region of North-east India

Georg-August-University Göttingen,
Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology,
in co-operation with the Centre for Modern Indian Studies and the competence network "Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia"


15 - 17 December 2011 in Göttingen, Germany


The region broadly referred to as North-east India comprises eight Indian states and is located along the western border of South-east Asia. Included in the South-east Asian borderland region of North-east India are the adjoining hill areas of Myanmar, Bhutan Himalayas, Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Recognised by experts as a hotspot of linguistic, religious, political, cultural and ethnic diversity, this region is vastly unexplored even today. The focus on the performance of ethnic identities and nationalist aspirations in a politically complex area provides the opportunity to scrutinize an important and urgent topic with theoretical sophistication.

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This inter-disciplinary workshop will bring together a substantial number of scientists working on North-east India and will give them a platform for sharing and discussing their field-work experiences and ongoing projects in a stimulating and creative atmosphere. Senior experts in the relevant disciplines will speak in the panels and comment on the participants' presentations to help them gain new insights.

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The international workshop will be entirely conducted in English and will be hosted by the Institut für Ethnologie in co-operation with the Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS) of Göttingen University - a very appropriate co-operation given the theme and aims of the workshop. The BMBF-funded competence network "Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia" at Göttingen University provides a further stimulating context and an interested audience. The 35 scholars from over a dozen countries and over 20 universities spread all over the world all work on issues of identity and ethnicity in North-east India.