Stateless in South Asia
The Chakmas between Bangladesh and India
- Deepak K Singh - Panjab University, India
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
Setting a new dimension in refugee studies, the arguments in this book are developed on the framework of oral narratives, incorporating the self perceptions of both the Chakmas as well as the Arunachalis who host them. The book critically analyses national and international official documents and policy statements and demonstrates the absence of legal-institutional and legislative structures to address the concerns of refugees. It throws into relief the sharp contestations over nationalism, citizenship and ethnicity in South Asia, both at the level of political movements and academic discourse. It sheds new light on the outcomes of partition, boundary making and state formation, as well as dominant development models by examining the everyday experiences of these communities.
This book will be a useful resource for scholars and students of politics, international relations, sociology, anthropology and history. It will also help policy makers and lawyers.
This reviewer firmly believes that the book definitely will help researchers of different subjects to explore an area which has remained isolated and unknown even in other parts of northeast India… offering hopes to both Chakmas and Arunachalees, especially by opening a strong debate, through questioning why there is no solution to these people’s predicaments even after fifty years of refugeehood.
Singh provides a detailed account of the conflict between the Chakmas and the Arunachalees. The authenticity of the book lies in methodology…Singh effectively opens up a strong debate by questioning why there is no solution to the refugee problem even after 50 years of refugeehood.