Nationality Question in Assam: The EPW 1980-81 Debate

The book contains the scholarly debate on the Assam movement (1979-1985). A number of thought provoking articles on the movement appeared in economics and Political Weekly in its early phase. The EPW debate essentially centered around the content of a seminal article by Amalendu Guha entitled “Little Nationalism Turned Chauvinist: Assam’s Anti-Foreigner Upsurge, 1979-80” A few articles preceding its publication had also addressed some crucial issues associated with the nationally question in Assam. Although the movement came to an end with the signing of the Assam Accord in August 1985, some of these issues, more particularly, the migration of foreign nationals into Assam, have remained central to the state politics of Assam and are likely to play a significant role in the near future. This book brings together all the relevant articles and a few letters to the editor on the Assam movement and the nationality question which appeared in different pages of the prestigious weekly with an introductory note essentially for the benefit of the new generation which did not witness the historic movement and also for the scholars who have academic interests in the state politics of Assam.