Class Formation, Social Inequality and the Nagas in North-East India

271 Pages·2018·2.225 MB·English

by  Andreas Küchle

Class Formation, Social
Inequality and the Nagas
in North-East India
This book examines the question of class formation and social
inequality within tribal groups in North-East India.
Focussing on the Nagas, it analyses and challenges common
perceptions about them as a class-less society with a uniform culture. It
looks at the previously neglected themes of class formation and structure,
division of work, emerging social milieus and cultural differentiation
among the Naga youth – and presents fresh arguments about notions
of modernity.
Providing a theoretical understanding of inequality, this volume
will be useful for scholars and researchers of North-East India, tribal
studies, exclusion studies, sociology, social anthropology, political
studies, development studies, cultural studies and South Asian studies.
Andreas Küchle is a data science professional and an independent
researcher affiliated with IAAW, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin,
where he completed his doctoral studies in social sciences.

Class Formation, Social
Inequality and the Nagas
in North-East India
Andreas Küchle
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an
informa business
© 2019 Andreas Küchle
The right of Andreas Küchle to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Maps not to scale. The international boundaries, coastlines,
denominations, and other information shown in any map in
this work do not necessarily imply any judgement concerning
the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or
acceptance of such information. For current boundaries,
readers may refer to the Survey of India maps.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-34686-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-27436-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To my parents
Rosa & Josef Küchle

Contents
List of figures viii
List of tables x
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
1 Class and social inequality in a multi-
dimensional perspective 14
2 Socio-cultures: from the Naga village to
peripheral capitalism 37
3 Patterns of cultural differentiation 69
4 Class structure and class reproduction 100
5 Career patterns 144
6 Differentiation of culture and class in Nagaland 226
Bibliography 245
Figures
I.1 Place of residence 9
2.1 Development of Nagaland GDP 43
2.2 Performance indicators of government and
private schools 47
3.1 Milieu integration: Christianity 70
3.2 Milieu integration: alcohol consumption 73
3.3 Milieu integration: politics 75
3.4 Milieu integration: students’ union 75
3.5 Milieu integration: sports 77
3.6 Milieu integration: music 78
3.7 Problem perception 81
3.8 Work aspirations 83
3.9 Cultural milieus: practice groups 86
3.10 MCA of cultural dimensions, Dim 1 vs. Dim 2 89
3.11 MCA of cultural dimensions, Dim 1 vs. Dim 3 90
3.12 Location of four cultural milieus in the principal
plane 1–2 93
3.13 Location of four cultural milieus in the secondary
plane 1–3 93
3.14 Mobility experiences 96
3.15 Mobility purposes 96
4.1 Distribution of work classes 102
4.2 Income distribution 104
4.3 Distribution of educational degrees 106
4.4 Educational level of the parents by gender 113
4.5 Educational level by generation and gender 114
4.6 Parents’ work milieus 115
4.7 Mean age per class 121
Figures ix
6.1 Youth class and cultural differentiation (plane 1–2) 227
6.2 Gender, mobility, residence and cultural
differentiation (plane 1–2) 229
6.3 Gender, mobility, residence and cultural
differentiation (plane 1–3) 229
6.4 Decision tree analysis of unemployment 234
6.5 Decision tree analysis of government vs. private sector 237
6.6 Decision tree analysis of income class 239