TITLE:
ASSAM MOVEMENT:
A THEORETICAL OUTLOOK
Jointly Prepared by Pankaj Bora and Bitapi Bora.
Any part of the work is not permitted to reproduce without prior permission of the authors.
Introduction:
Social Movements are the popular uprisings. A social movement is a form of collective behaviour in which a large number of people are associated to promote or defy any change in the society. There are different types of social movements like Alternative social movements, Reformative social movements, Transformative social movements, Reactionary social movements etc. Social Movements are different in nature, objective and ideology etc. A social movement can be explained from various theories.
This paper is also an attempt to explain Assam Movement from various theories. The paper tries to see Assam Movement from various perspectives. Various writers of social movement had viewed Assam movement from various angles. To some it is a movement by upper caste Assamese people for there socio-politico-economic interest. To some others it is a movement for the safeguard of Assamese nationalities and to some others again it is a movement resulted by relative deprivation. So there are various views or theories to explain Assam Movement.
So it is become important to know Assam Movements from various theoretical perspectives. This paper, titled as “Assam Movement: A Theoretical Outlook”, is a paper which tries to observe Assam Movement from various angles. Here the paper tries to see how we can see Assam Movement from various theoretical bases and how scholars had observed it from various theories.
Importance of theorizing a movement:
Theory means a well-focused mental look taken at something in a state of consideration with the intent to grasp or understand that. It is a guide to practice, adds much to what is merely described clarifies hypotheses, and as a part of philosophy explains an issue which meets the requirements of both reason and vision. Theory as a mental outlook provides a systematic interpretation over the definite case variables. It is an exact communication of the incidents happened in the moment of time. Thus as a method of analysis the case happened in past, it provides a well set typology of assumption and interest of larger magnitude. It gives a scope for understand a situation through a given framework paradigm.
In such a narrative Assam Movement can also been theories in various theorizations of facts and figure. It could be seen in some varied angle. In short by looking into the gravity, character, motive, result and back up forces Assam movement, it can be theorizing in several parallel line of understanding.
The theoretical outlook of Assam Movement provides us a better understanding of the movements. With the help of theorizing Assam Movement one can know about the nature, scope, cause, leadership, support base and opponent of the movement. The theoretical understanding of the Assam Movement also strengthens the knowledge base of the movement. It opens new angles of analyzing the Assam Movement. So because of these above reason it is important to see Assam Movement from various perspectives.
A glimpse on Assam Movement:
The Assam movement like all other significant social movements has its roots in history and society from which it emerged. Assam movement like other social movement does not rise all of a sudden; rather there have been a rising confusion and discontent among the Assamese middle class and the Assamese people at large, which outburst in a form of a movement. Though, a feeling of deprivation and the peoples expectations rises since earlier, yet it got more visible form in the mid of 1979. With the issue of immigration, Assam Movements starts and end up with the enhancing of Assam’s infrastructural development, in a form of an Accord, known as “Assam Accord”.
Assam Movement refers to that movement which demands to stop the illegal migration of foreigner to Assam from neighboring countries. There participation in electoral process and deportation of all foreigners living illegally in Assam and also to enable the people of Assam to protect their distinct identity. The movement started in 1979 under the leadership of the ASSU and AAGSP.
To understand a movement it is important to know about the components of the movement like ideology, objectives, organization, social condition, supporters, opponents, leadership, benefited people etc. So to understand Assam Movement in a better way it is important to know these entire components. The ideology of Assam Movement was the ideology of sub nationalism, the objectives of the movement were to detect and deport foreigner from the land, economic development of the region and its inhabitants and to some scholars there was also a hidden objective of gaining political power. All Assam Student Union (AASU), All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) were the main organizations behind Assam Movement. Leadership of the movement was provided by the leaders of the two organizations. They were like P.K. Mahanta, B.K Phukan etc. If some one talk about the social condition of Assam during Assam Movement then the person must say it was an underdeveloped society where in many areas outsiders (Non-Assamese) had a better position then the locals. Assam Movement was largely supported by the inhabited of Assam. The Assamese middle class supported the movement. The villain or the opponent of Assam Movement was the central government. The movement was essentially against outsiders. The people benefited from the movement were the middle class Assamese people. They gain both economic and political benefit from the movement.
Theories of Assam Movement:
In the previous part of the paper we had a rough idea about Assam Movement. Now in this part I will try to explain Assam Movement from various angles or from various theoretical perspectives. Generally one can explicate the movement from assortment of theories but in this paper I will try to focus only on five theories. These are:
1. Theory of Class approach
2. Theory of structural conduciveness
3. Theory of Relative deprivation
4. Theory of Reference groups and
5. The Theory of Resource Conflict etc.
All these theories nicely reflect the nature and cause of Assam Movement. Some of these theories also indicate the outcome of the movement. So let’s have a brief study of Assam Movement in the sphere of these theories
1. Theory of Class approach:
Theory of Class Approach was developed by Karl Marx and its successor. This theory highlights the economic exploitation of people as a cause of a movement. It also examines the class character of the movement. It tries to explain a movement by reflecting the leader class and the beneficiary class.
Assam Movement can be explained from this theory. In Assam Movement we can see the class character of the movement. Prof. Manirul Hussain in his book “The Assam Movement, Class, Ideology and Identity” and Amalendu Guha in his article “Little Nationalism Turned Chauvinist: Assam’s Anti-Foreigner Upsurge” discussed about the class character of Assam Movement.
The Assam Movement was movement against the resource exploitation of India. It was a movement by the oppress class of the Assamese society. And this movement was led or supported by the Assamese middleclass to promote there interest. To the scholars Assam Movement was a movement for the benefit of the Assamese educated middle class. So all these factor reflects the class character of the movement. Or to say the class approach to Assam Movement explains it as it is a movement because of economic exploitation leaded by Assamese middle class for their interest.
2. Theory of Structural Conduciveness:
Theory of structural conduciveness is another theory of social movement. The theory of structural conduciveness is proposed by Neil J. Smellser. He identifies six conditions that led to social movement. These are structural conduciveness, structural strains, growth and spread of generalized belief, precipitating factors, mobilization of factors and mechanism of social control.
One can see Assam Movement from structural conduciveness theory also. The Assam movement also had these conditions said by Smellser in his theory. The Assam movement was a movement in independent democratic society and the structure is conducive enough for a movement. The exploitation of resources by center, its step mother attitude and large scale migration of outsiders gave a structural strain among the Assamese people and all these led to a general belief that identity of Assamese people are in crisis. Then the killing of Khargeswar Talukdar was the precipitating factors of Assam Movement. The leaders of the movement mobilize the people on the ground that a popular movement only can solve these problems. The movement was leaded by the student union and by some other organization like ASSU AAGSP, AXX etc. For that reason mechanism of social control was in the hands of leaders of those organizations.
3. Theory of Relative deprivation:
Another theory through which one can examine Assam Movement is the theory of relative deprivation. Relative Deprivation theory argues that social movements have their foundations among people who feel deprived of some good(s) or resource(s). “According to this approach, individuals who are lacking some good, service, or comfort are more likely to organize a social movement to improve (or defend) their conditions.” (Morrison 1978). As a theory, theory of Relative Deprivation, underlies a sense of deprivation relatively from its sister organs. Its shows how one object is being deprived from the rights and concessions that other objects of same types appropriate. This theory has a dual perspective. One is Institutional and other is Individual. From the institutional perspective it shows how the institutions take a policy of relative deprivation in providing economic priorities. At the individual level, this theory shows how one feels insecure and deprived from its equal counter part.
Through this theory one can assess Assam movement. In individual level the theory examines how the “Asamiya” people at large feels relative deprivation from the “Indian” imperialism and its other avenues of atrocities. They had charged of step mother attitude of Indian government towards the Assam. At the individual level the “Asamiya” people blamed that Bohiragatos, initially captured the revenues which exactly belongs to Asamiyas. In that sense, “Land” is being treated as the sense of insecurities and economic revenue as source of discontent. Thus, through this theory the reasons of the movement can be focused.
4. Theory of Reference groups:
Role of demonstrative factor also cannot be ignored regarding the emergence of Assam movement and the subsequent autonomy movement of Assam. Both this movement in fact is a result of role model. This perception can be theories in the banner of theory of reference group. In a straight line of direction, Assam movement is being inspired by the earlier two successive movements regarding “Language”, in latter part of 60’s and early part of 70’s. Therefore, there is a vast similarity found regarding the demands, strategy and organization between the two. The emergence of middle class again was a result of such role model transaction, both at the top and bottom line up.
Again as a result of Assam movement a horizontal proliferation of autonomy movements have been seen as a follow up actions Assamese chauvinism. For the Bodo’s Assam movement is the reference movement. So two language movements of Assam became the reference movement for Assam Movement and Assam Movement itself became reference for Bodo Movement.
5. The Theory of Resource Conflict:
Assam movement again can be viewed from the angle of theorization of resource conflict between the centre and the leaders of the movement, in the matters of natural resource belongs to Assam. One of the most impressive debates on such conflict was the movement of Oil Blockade. They had started “the blockade” in January 1980, with a slogan- “Tez Dim Tel Nidio” and demanded for an own refinery instead of sending of crude oil to the Barauni refinery in Bihar. It was notable that, the oil blockade obviously pressurized the centre to think seriously about the movement and to look for a solution. It has been rightly mention by the Sanjaya Hazarika in his work called- “Assam: A Crisis of Identity”, 1980 as, “Thousands of supporters of the movement on 21st December 1979 moved into various oil installations and refineries in Assam and stop the flow of crude oil to outside Assam, which led to stoppage of functioning of Barauni refinery in Bihar.”
Conclusion:
In these ways one can express Assam Movement from various ways. The movement can be examined from the above theories. And each theory accepts the movement in different ways. Thus the whole process of Assam movement needs a re-look and the possible interpretation can be made through the theories discussed above but still those theories are not sufficient, thus a further interpretation again been needed. One can again see Assam Movement from the theory of legitimacy, theory of self determination, theory of sub nationalism etc. These theories observe Assam Movement from some other angles. To these theories Assam Movement is not just a movement against foreigners but it is many more.
Reference:
1. Baruah, Sanjib: India Against Itself, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2000.
2. Denton E. Morrison: "Some Notes toward Theory on Relative Deprivation, Social Movements, and Social Change." In Louis E. Genevie, ed., Collective Behavior and Social Movements. Itasca, Ill, 1978.
3. Gohain, Hiren: Assam: The Burning Question, spectrum publications, Guwahati, 1985.
4. Guha, Amalendu: Little Nationalism Turned Chauvinist: Assam’s Anti-Foreigner Upsurge.
5. Hazarika, Bolin (ed) Society and Politics in Assam, Dept. of Political Science J.B.College, 2000.
6. Hazarika, Sanjay Assam: A Crisis of Identity, 1980.
7. Hussain, Manirul; The Assam Movement, class, ideology and identity, Manak Publication Pvt. Ltd. Delhi 1993.
8. Konwar, Narayan: Society and Politics in Assam, Book land, Guwahati, 2005.
9. Brass, Paul: The Politics in India Since Independence, Cambridge University Press, New Delhi, 1997.
ASSAM MOVEMENT:
A THEORETICAL OUTLOOK
Jointly Prepared by Pankaj Bora and Bitapi Bora.
Any part of the work is not permitted to reproduce without prior permission of the authors.
Introduction:
Social Movements are the popular uprisings. A social movement is a form of collective behaviour in which a large number of people are associated to promote or defy any change in the society. There are different types of social movements like Alternative social movements, Reformative social movements, Transformative social movements, Reactionary social movements etc. Social Movements are different in nature, objective and ideology etc. A social movement can be explained from various theories.
This paper is also an attempt to explain Assam Movement from various theories. The paper tries to see Assam Movement from various perspectives. Various writers of social movement had viewed Assam movement from various angles. To some it is a movement by upper caste Assamese people for there socio-politico-economic interest. To some others it is a movement for the safeguard of Assamese nationalities and to some others again it is a movement resulted by relative deprivation. So there are various views or theories to explain Assam Movement.
So it is become important to know Assam Movements from various theoretical perspectives. This paper, titled as “Assam Movement: A Theoretical Outlook”, is a paper which tries to observe Assam Movement from various angles. Here the paper tries to see how we can see Assam Movement from various theoretical bases and how scholars had observed it from various theories.
Importance of theorizing a movement:
Theory means a well-focused mental look taken at something in a state of consideration with the intent to grasp or understand that. It is a guide to practice, adds much to what is merely described clarifies hypotheses, and as a part of philosophy explains an issue which meets the requirements of both reason and vision. Theory as a mental outlook provides a systematic interpretation over the definite case variables. It is an exact communication of the incidents happened in the moment of time. Thus as a method of analysis the case happened in past, it provides a well set typology of assumption and interest of larger magnitude. It gives a scope for understand a situation through a given framework paradigm.
In such a narrative Assam Movement can also been theories in various theorizations of facts and figure. It could be seen in some varied angle. In short by looking into the gravity, character, motive, result and back up forces Assam movement, it can be theorizing in several parallel line of understanding.
The theoretical outlook of Assam Movement provides us a better understanding of the movements. With the help of theorizing Assam Movement one can know about the nature, scope, cause, leadership, support base and opponent of the movement. The theoretical understanding of the Assam Movement also strengthens the knowledge base of the movement. It opens new angles of analyzing the Assam Movement. So because of these above reason it is important to see Assam Movement from various perspectives.
A glimpse on Assam Movement:
The Assam movement like all other significant social movements has its roots in history and society from which it emerged. Assam movement like other social movement does not rise all of a sudden; rather there have been a rising confusion and discontent among the Assamese middle class and the Assamese people at large, which outburst in a form of a movement. Though, a feeling of deprivation and the peoples expectations rises since earlier, yet it got more visible form in the mid of 1979. With the issue of immigration, Assam Movements starts and end up with the enhancing of Assam’s infrastructural development, in a form of an Accord, known as “Assam Accord”.
Assam Movement refers to that movement which demands to stop the illegal migration of foreigner to Assam from neighboring countries. There participation in electoral process and deportation of all foreigners living illegally in Assam and also to enable the people of Assam to protect their distinct identity. The movement started in 1979 under the leadership of the ASSU and AAGSP.
To understand a movement it is important to know about the components of the movement like ideology, objectives, organization, social condition, supporters, opponents, leadership, benefited people etc. So to understand Assam Movement in a better way it is important to know these entire components. The ideology of Assam Movement was the ideology of sub nationalism, the objectives of the movement were to detect and deport foreigner from the land, economic development of the region and its inhabitants and to some scholars there was also a hidden objective of gaining political power. All Assam Student Union (AASU), All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) were the main organizations behind Assam Movement. Leadership of the movement was provided by the leaders of the two organizations. They were like P.K. Mahanta, B.K Phukan etc. If some one talk about the social condition of Assam during Assam Movement then the person must say it was an underdeveloped society where in many areas outsiders (Non-Assamese) had a better position then the locals. Assam Movement was largely supported by the inhabited of Assam. The Assamese middle class supported the movement. The villain or the opponent of Assam Movement was the central government. The movement was essentially against outsiders. The people benefited from the movement were the middle class Assamese people. They gain both economic and political benefit from the movement.
Theories of Assam Movement:
In the previous part of the paper we had a rough idea about Assam Movement. Now in this part I will try to explain Assam Movement from various angles or from various theoretical perspectives. Generally one can explicate the movement from assortment of theories but in this paper I will try to focus only on five theories. These are:
1. Theory of Class approach
2. Theory of structural conduciveness
3. Theory of Relative deprivation
4. Theory of Reference groups and
5. The Theory of Resource Conflict etc.
All these theories nicely reflect the nature and cause of Assam Movement. Some of these theories also indicate the outcome of the movement. So let’s have a brief study of Assam Movement in the sphere of these theories
1. Theory of Class approach:
Theory of Class Approach was developed by Karl Marx and its successor. This theory highlights the economic exploitation of people as a cause of a movement. It also examines the class character of the movement. It tries to explain a movement by reflecting the leader class and the beneficiary class.
Assam Movement can be explained from this theory. In Assam Movement we can see the class character of the movement. Prof. Manirul Hussain in his book “The Assam Movement, Class, Ideology and Identity” and Amalendu Guha in his article “Little Nationalism Turned Chauvinist: Assam’s Anti-Foreigner Upsurge” discussed about the class character of Assam Movement.
The Assam Movement was movement against the resource exploitation of India. It was a movement by the oppress class of the Assamese society. And this movement was led or supported by the Assamese middleclass to promote there interest. To the scholars Assam Movement was a movement for the benefit of the Assamese educated middle class. So all these factor reflects the class character of the movement. Or to say the class approach to Assam Movement explains it as it is a movement because of economic exploitation leaded by Assamese middle class for their interest.
2. Theory of Structural Conduciveness:
Theory of structural conduciveness is another theory of social movement. The theory of structural conduciveness is proposed by Neil J. Smellser. He identifies six conditions that led to social movement. These are structural conduciveness, structural strains, growth and spread of generalized belief, precipitating factors, mobilization of factors and mechanism of social control.
One can see Assam Movement from structural conduciveness theory also. The Assam movement also had these conditions said by Smellser in his theory. The Assam movement was a movement in independent democratic society and the structure is conducive enough for a movement. The exploitation of resources by center, its step mother attitude and large scale migration of outsiders gave a structural strain among the Assamese people and all these led to a general belief that identity of Assamese people are in crisis. Then the killing of Khargeswar Talukdar was the precipitating factors of Assam Movement. The leaders of the movement mobilize the people on the ground that a popular movement only can solve these problems. The movement was leaded by the student union and by some other organization like ASSU AAGSP, AXX etc. For that reason mechanism of social control was in the hands of leaders of those organizations.
3. Theory of Relative deprivation:
Another theory through which one can examine Assam Movement is the theory of relative deprivation. Relative Deprivation theory argues that social movements have their foundations among people who feel deprived of some good(s) or resource(s). “According to this approach, individuals who are lacking some good, service, or comfort are more likely to organize a social movement to improve (or defend) their conditions.” (Morrison 1978). As a theory, theory of Relative Deprivation, underlies a sense of deprivation relatively from its sister organs. Its shows how one object is being deprived from the rights and concessions that other objects of same types appropriate. This theory has a dual perspective. One is Institutional and other is Individual. From the institutional perspective it shows how the institutions take a policy of relative deprivation in providing economic priorities. At the individual level, this theory shows how one feels insecure and deprived from its equal counter part.
Through this theory one can assess Assam movement. In individual level the theory examines how the “Asamiya” people at large feels relative deprivation from the “Indian” imperialism and its other avenues of atrocities. They had charged of step mother attitude of Indian government towards the Assam. At the individual level the “Asamiya” people blamed that Bohiragatos, initially captured the revenues which exactly belongs to Asamiyas. In that sense, “Land” is being treated as the sense of insecurities and economic revenue as source of discontent. Thus, through this theory the reasons of the movement can be focused.
4. Theory of Reference groups:
Role of demonstrative factor also cannot be ignored regarding the emergence of Assam movement and the subsequent autonomy movement of Assam. Both this movement in fact is a result of role model. This perception can be theories in the banner of theory of reference group. In a straight line of direction, Assam movement is being inspired by the earlier two successive movements regarding “Language”, in latter part of 60’s and early part of 70’s. Therefore, there is a vast similarity found regarding the demands, strategy and organization between the two. The emergence of middle class again was a result of such role model transaction, both at the top and bottom line up.
Again as a result of Assam movement a horizontal proliferation of autonomy movements have been seen as a follow up actions Assamese chauvinism. For the Bodo’s Assam movement is the reference movement. So two language movements of Assam became the reference movement for Assam Movement and Assam Movement itself became reference for Bodo Movement.
5. The Theory of Resource Conflict:
Assam movement again can be viewed from the angle of theorization of resource conflict between the centre and the leaders of the movement, in the matters of natural resource belongs to Assam. One of the most impressive debates on such conflict was the movement of Oil Blockade. They had started “the blockade” in January 1980, with a slogan- “Tez Dim Tel Nidio” and demanded for an own refinery instead of sending of crude oil to the Barauni refinery in Bihar. It was notable that, the oil blockade obviously pressurized the centre to think seriously about the movement and to look for a solution. It has been rightly mention by the Sanjaya Hazarika in his work called- “Assam: A Crisis of Identity”, 1980 as, “Thousands of supporters of the movement on 21st December 1979 moved into various oil installations and refineries in Assam and stop the flow of crude oil to outside Assam, which led to stoppage of functioning of Barauni refinery in Bihar.”
Conclusion:
In these ways one can express Assam Movement from various ways. The movement can be examined from the above theories. And each theory accepts the movement in different ways. Thus the whole process of Assam movement needs a re-look and the possible interpretation can be made through the theories discussed above but still those theories are not sufficient, thus a further interpretation again been needed. One can again see Assam Movement from the theory of legitimacy, theory of self determination, theory of sub nationalism etc. These theories observe Assam Movement from some other angles. To these theories Assam Movement is not just a movement against foreigners but it is many more.
Reference:
1. Baruah, Sanjib: India Against Itself, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2000.
2. Denton E. Morrison: "Some Notes toward Theory on Relative Deprivation, Social Movements, and Social Change." In Louis E. Genevie, ed., Collective Behavior and Social Movements. Itasca, Ill, 1978.
3. Gohain, Hiren: Assam: The Burning Question, spectrum publications, Guwahati, 1985.
4. Guha, Amalendu: Little Nationalism Turned Chauvinist: Assam’s Anti-Foreigner Upsurge.
5. Hazarika, Bolin (ed) Society and Politics in Assam, Dept. of Political Science J.B.College, 2000.
6. Hazarika, Sanjay Assam: A Crisis of Identity, 1980.
7. Hussain, Manirul; The Assam Movement, class, ideology and identity, Manak Publication Pvt. Ltd. Delhi 1993.
8. Konwar, Narayan: Society and Politics in Assam, Book land, Guwahati, 2005.
9. Brass, Paul: The Politics in India Since Independence, Cambridge University Press, New Delhi, 1997.
2 comments:
Hello
May i have e mail address please as i also intend to do a paper on the Assam Movement and would like to get in touch with u. reply to me - jayshree722@gmail.com
theborapankaj@gmail.com
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