Eighteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Ethnicity refers to the idea and cultural boundary formation among groups of people who share common values, norms, and practices, etc. Ethnicity acknowledges the history, language, and culture in the construction of subjectivity and identity (Barker). The Koch Rajbangshis, a community native to the states of Assam and Bengal in India, is one of many communities who are raising their voice against the Indian domain. The Rajbangshis, who have a rich cultural and historical tradition of hundreds of years, first lost their glory in the hands of the British back in the eighteenth century colonial India. This marked the beginning of their never-ending quest for their lost heritage and also an identity that they lost in the race of civilization. There are various groups like the All Koch Rajbangshi Students’ Union (AKRASU) and Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), etc., who are demanding for a separate state called “Kamatapur” that their ancestors used to rule for hundreds of years. After the merge with independent India through an agreement, the status of this community is in a state of limbo as they are scattered in not only a few states but in three countries, namely India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. This paper analyzes how memory plays an important role in present-day politics and the question of identity. It also studies how the Koch Rajbangshis construct their own identity and “self” to claim their political dominance in the present socio-political sphere in India.