Ethnic Identity, Nationalism and Culture

Acknowledgment

I would like to convey my profound appreciation and respect to Prof. Nandita Shukla Singh, the Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Swami Vivekananda Studies at Panjab University, for her unwavering support, exceptional guidance, and the care, patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and extensive knowledge she has provided throughout my Major Research Project.

I am particularly grateful to Prof. Sebastian Velassery, whose assistance was invaluable in formulating the research theme, as well as in proofreading drafts and supplying essential materials and books, for which I am truly thankful.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) in New Delhi for their financial support, which was crucial for the successful completion of this project. It is clear that this major research endeavor would not have been feasible without the funding provided by the Council.

I further extend my heartfelt appreciation to Ms. Baljinder Kaur, Harpreet Singh, and my colleagues at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Swami Vivekananda Studies for their tremendous support and moral encouragement throughout the duration of my project.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my son Arya Patra, along with my brothers and sisters, for their steadfast support throughout my journey. Furthermore, I dedicate this book to the cherished memory of my late parents, Thakur Ram Singh and Kamala Devi.

Preface

This project discusses various dimensions of the philosophical problems posed by the conception of identity. In this framework, the study has focused on philosophical discussions related to ethnic identity, nationalism, and culture, with a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenological foundations of otherness in Northeast India. In Northeast India, the significance of marginalization is evident at two distinct phenomenological levels. Firstly, to begin with, the region is collectively marginalized in both subjective and objective terms; the inhabitants perceive themselves as underprivileged, isolated, and lagging behind the dominant society, on one hand, and on the other hand, many of the people from India’s mainland who have no idea of the region exclude it as an alien land. Since then, the northeastern people of India have been raising basic questions regarding their “identity.” In a way, this can be understood as an attempt to approximate their present role by assuming their cultural tradition.

The research further analysis hermeneutically, tribal culture, religion, tradition, different ethnic groups, and tribal groups inhabit the region of northeast India. The research emphasizes critical challenges associated with the cultural, religious, and traditional lifestyles of the tribal people in the northeast. This study is significant as it reveals that individuals inhabit various ethnic communities, requiring behaviors that align with specific norms to preserve their ethnic identity. The ethnic community serves as a reference group for its members. Possessing an ethnic identity entails more than merely performing an ethnic role; it involves embodying ethnicity as a fundamental aspect of one’s identity.

The research further elaborates that tribal traditional religion, as a social institution, is not a fixed or singular entity; rather, it is a complex and pervasive institution marked by various dimensions. These dimensions encompass rituals, practices, ethical guidelines, a collection of doctrines, and belief systems. Additionally, it includes scriptures or oral traditions, social relationship patterns centered around the ritual gatherings, religious communities, or moral group of people; a structured hierarchy of ritual practitioners; a propensity to distinguish between the sacred and the profane; and an ethos that allows for emotional or mystical experiences. It intends to examine what is behind this intellectual and cultural search and point to some critical conceptions of cultural ethnic identity with nationalism. Culture defines what it means to be human, and with culture comes identity and understanding. It is in culture that we find civilizing and humanizing values. Humans develop an understanding of themselves as a result of their relationships with others. Others opinions about us are crucial to our role in developing our understanding of ourselves and of how others view us. Culture can only be revalued from the position of others, and thus, culture is the source of identity and otherness. Other and self are inherently connected, and when we speak of their other, selfhood. In a way, this can be understood as an attempt to approximate their present role by assuming their cultural tradition.

Further, it discusses the philosophical issues of tribal identity and others’ otherness. The philosophical discussion on the concept of tribal as a category of ontology has attempted to offer certain manifested realities on the inquiry into the concept of “Who is the Other?” raises significant issues. The term “tribal” as “the Other” does not imply a completely isolated or discarded Self, assuming such a Self can even exist. The complexities inherent in the relationship between “I” and the “Other” highlight the necessity of recognizing the interdependence with the “Other,” thereby implicating the individual posing the question. In this context, the identity of the “Other” is often negated, whether in terms of existence or cultural practices. The dynamics of subjugation and assimilation among Indians themselves reflect a similar attitude towards the Other, conceptualizing the tribal as the Other-as-Object. Conversely, non-tribals perceive themselves as the Other-as-Subject, characterized as “similar yet distinct from Me,” which enables a sense of superficial unity and the potential for dialog.

The project deeply discusses nationalism and the search for the other’s otherness as a value signifier of identity, which is essentially a plural concept, and each of the different identities has a relative significance in different contexts. Most of our identities may not be the outcome of our choice, but it is important to realize that we have choice with regards to the value and significance we are going to attach to our different identities. It is also important to note that under the big umbrella of our national or communal identity, each one of us has differences in terms of personalities, principles of life, beliefs, attitudes, points of view, likes and dislikes, etc. that make us unique, special, and different from one another. These individual differences can somehow make us similar somehow to those who belong to other nationalities or communities. As a result, we can have a better friendship and deeper relationship with them than many of those who belong to ours. Similarly, just because we belong to our own community does not mean that we can have a better relationship with our co-members than with those who belong to different communities.

The study also discusses how notions of personal identity are based on self-perceptions of individual moral choices as right or wrong, good or bad, which greatly determine how we see ourselves in relation to others and others in relation to us, the kind of attitude we have about ourselves and others, and how our actions and behavior are compelled by these moral choices. Identity is basically a substantive concept, not an instrumental concept. Its purpose is knowledge of oneself and identification with others. But people are often pathetic victims of who and what they are by virtue of their group identity (religious, ethnic, racial, cultural, national, etc.) in the social and political arena, as a result of which their identity becomes a political issue, giving rise to different forms of political movements. In the light of our discussion, identity is essentially a plural concept, and each of the different identities has a relative significance in different contexts. Most of our identities may not be the outcome of our choice, but it is important to realize that we have choice with regards to the value and significance we are going to attach to our different identities. It is equally important to know that choices over identities have limitations and associations.