CONTRIBUTORS

Poongodi A. is Assistant Professor of English in the Department of English and Foreign Languages, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu, India.

Seema Agrawal is Professor of Anthropology at University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (India). She chaired the department from 2012-2015 and 2018-2019. Her major areas of interest are tribal studies, medical anthropology, Indian anthropology, and social research methods. She has worked on tribal health practices, HIV/AIDS, adolescent health, and maternal repro­ductive health in the state of Rajasthan. She has several research papers and projects on HIV/AIDS and youth to her credit.

B. Cauveri has been a teacher, researcher, research guide, bi-lingual poet, and freelance edi­tor. With a teaching experience of nearly two decades, she retired as an Associate Professor of English from SRMIST. Under her guidance, seven scholars have successfully completed their PhD programme. Apart from research articles, she has authored and co-authored text books on English for Engineering students and Value Education. Her publications include book reviews and poems in English in Indian and foreign journals. A collection of her poems has been published under the title Sandalwood Chips.

Maguni Charan Behera is Professor (now retired) of Tribal Studies at Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies, Rajiv Gandhi (Central) University, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Dr. Behera was also a Professor of Indigenous Culture Studies and Dean School of Cultural Studies, Central University of Jharkhand. He has been working on tribes for about 40 years.

Radhika Borde is a Lecturer in Sustainability Transitions and Social Justice at the School of Geography, University of Leeds, UK. She is a steering committee member of an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) specialist group on the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas. She has a PhD from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. She has worked as an activist and social entrepreneur in India. She has researched and pub­lished on the Anthropocene, social movements related to mining, Adivasi (tribal) culture and religiosity, sacred natural sites in India, activist media, and Adivasi women’s move­ments.

C. Maheswaran, presently a senior fellow, ICSSR, served the Government of Tamil Nadu for more than three decades, first as Curatorial Staff at the Department of Museums and later as the Director of Tribal Research Centre at the Department of Tribal Welfare. By possessing post graduates both in Linguistics and Social Anthropology, with a doctorate in Linguistics, he is trained in the interrelated disciplines of Archaeological Anthropology, Tribal Studies, Folkloristics, Museology, and Heritage Management. To his credit he has carried eight independent research studies.

Utpal Kumar Chakraborty, MA (Gold Medallist), PhD (Sociology) from Ranchi University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, is an Assistant Professor of Sociology, at ABM College, Golmuri, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. He is a recipient of Junior Research Fellowship and Senior Research Fellowship of University Grants Commission, Ministry of HRD, Government of India. His publications include 1 book, 1 edited volume book, 3 book chapters, and 18 articles in national and international journals. He is an associate editor in the Journal Asian Mirror.

Soumita Chatterjee is a teaching faculty member for over six years in the Department of Anthropology of Shyampur Siddheswari Mahavidyalaya, West Bengal, India. Her research interest primarily include crime and anthropology, women’s empowerment, and psycho­logical diseases in daily life. She has numerous research publications in national and inter­national journals.

Seiminchon Chongloi is a member of Kuki Christian Church, Manipur Synod. He com­pleted his Bachelor of Divinity from Trulock Theological Seminary, Manipur and Master of Theology from North India Institute of Post Graduate Studies (NIIPGTS), Senate of Serampore College (University), and taught at Master’s College of Theology. He received his Doctor of Theology (DTh) in Religion from South Asia Theological Research Institute (SATHRI) from Senate of Serampore College (University), India. At present he works as Asst. Professor in the Department of Religion at Master’s College of Theology, Serampore College (University). His research interest centres on Primal/Tribal studies.

G. Kanato Chophy received a PhD in Social Anthropology from the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. He currently teaches Social Anthropology in Dibrugarh University, Assam. Previously he has taught in Central University of Jharkhand and was a Post-doctoral Fellow in the Centre of Excellence, Centre of North-East India Studies, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. His research interests lie in the history and social life of Indian tribes. He was awarded the New India Foundation Fellowship to write a book on the his­tory of post-Independent India. His most recent work is Christianity and Politics in Tribal India: Baptist Missionaries and Naga Nationalism (Permanent Black/State University of New York Press, 2021).

Sutapa Choudhury, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, India has specialisation in social-cultural anthropology. Her research interest mainly focuses on criminology, women studies and Indigenous culture.

Ubaid Ahmad Dar teaches Anthropology at the Institute of Kashmir Studies, University of Kashmir, J&K. He is PhD from the Department of Anthropology at Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi as an UGC Senior Research Fellow. His specialisation is on archaeological anthropology, specifically in areas such as ethnoarchaeology, tribal stud­ies, and Himalayan archaeology. Dr. Dar has conducted extensive research on Himalayan pastoral communities as part of the Anthropological Survey of India. He has also pre­sented papers at both national and international seminars/conferences and has published work in respected journals. Prior to his current role, he has served in the Department of Anthropology at Cluster University Srinagar and the Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata.

Mitoo Das, MPhil and PhD, is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. Her specialisation is in social anthropology, particularly in research methodology, anthropology of gender, and auto-ethnography. She has presented papers in National and International Seminars/ Conferences and has published papers in journals and books of repute. At IGNOU, she is the Programme Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Anthropology and Bachelors in Anthropology (General) Programme and the Course Coordinator of several courses for the Masters and Undergraduate Programmes.

Nigamananda Das is Professor of English at Nagaland University. Besides teaching, he shouldered academic and administrative responsibilities as Warden of Hostel, Head, Department of English, Academic In-charge of University Campus, and Dean, School of Humanities and Education at Nagaland University, Kohima Campus, Meriema, Kohima, Nagaland, PIN-797004. Commonwealth Literature, Saint Literature, Multiethnic litera­ture, ELT, and Contemporary Theory being his major areas of interests, he holds 30 years of teaching and 20 years of post-doctoral research experience.

Potshangbam Binodini Devi is Associate Professor in the PG Department of Anthropology, DM University, Imphal. She’s the first recipient of Malti Nagar Ethnoarchaeology award in 1998 (ISPQS), recognised as a Distinguished Scholar in the field of Indian Archaeology in 2009 (IAS), and was conferred Bhatat Ratna Abdul Kalam Gold Medal Award in 2019 (GEPRA). To her credit she has six books, 40 articles, 15 book chapters, and several pro­jects. She has attended about 60 seminars, conferences, workshops, etc. in the country and abroad.

Jangkhongam Doungel is a Professor at the Department of Political Science, Mizoram University. He has authored four books, edited one book and co-edited two books. He published 37 research articles in journals, 30 papers in edited volumes, and 4 papers in proceedings. He also has several projects to his credit. He was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Department of Political Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio State, USA in 2021.

Malli Gandhi is presently working as Professor and Head Department of Education in Social Sciences and Humanities, Regional Institute of Education, NCERT, Mysore. His areas of interest are: Social Sciences, Indian History, Colonial Anthropology, Tribal Education, Development of Marginalized Communities, Subaltern Studies, Nomadic, Semi- Nomadic, and Denotified Communities. To his credit he has several books and research articles published widely and several research projects. Presently he is working on Tribal Justice, Tribal Education, Criminal Tribes Manuals, and Source Book on the Concept and Idea of Denotified Tribe Settlements in India.

Digbijoy Giri is working as Joint Director in the office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India under Ministry of Home Affair New Delhi. Previously he has worked in Anthropological Survey of India; Ministry of Culture; National Commission of Scheduled Tribes, Ministry of Tribal Affairs; and as Regional Passport Officer, under Ministry of External Affairs, Govt.

Rupam Gogoi is Assistant Professor in the Department of English, North Lakhimpur College (Autonomous), North Lakhimpur, Assam. He has completed one research project, contributed to various journals and has presented research papers in more than 20 interna­tional and national conferences/ seminars. His areas of academic interest include Folklore Studies, Indian Writings in English, English Writings from India’s North East, and Literary Theory.

Diganta Hatiboruah is currently heading the Department of Political Science, North Lakhimpur College (Autonomous), North Lakhimpur, Assam. He has authored nine books, completed three research projects besides contributing to various journals, and he has also participated in more than 20 academic conferences and seminars. His current academic interests are human rights, ethnic studies, insurgency, and good governance.

Amithy Jasrotia, PhD, alumni Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur is Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology at University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. She has more than ten years of teaching and research supervision experiences. She has several research projects and publi­cations to her credit also. Her current research interest lies in the field of sociological theory, marginalisation, gender issues, sociology of health, education, religion, and environmental issues.

Archana Khupte is a junior research scholar at Centre for Political Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University. She received her bachelors and master degree in History from University of Mumbai and Master of Philosophy degree in Political studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her research interest lies in the issues pertaining to the identity politics and idea of emancipation of marginalised communities; scheduled tribes and Dalits, in India. Her PhD research focuses on politics of education and pedagogy of scheduled tribes in Maharashtra and she holds a Junior Research Fellowship of University Grant Commission at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Abhishek Kumar, MA, MPhil, PhD, presently teaches Anthropology at Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bihar, India. His work focuses specially on the social-cultural anthropology, tribal, and village studies. He is a life member of Indian Science Congress Association and Indian Anthropological Society. He has more than 15 research publications and a book to his credit.

Nisha Kumari is a research scholar at Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies, Central University of Jharkhand. She has currently submitted her PhD on the topic of Murma Parka Jatra: A Study on Contemporaneity. Her work focuses specifically on the socio-cultural anthropology, anthropology of event, traditional political system, symbolic anthropology etc. She has presented several papers at national and international seminars. She has four articles published in UGC-CARE listed journals, two in peer reviewed jour­nals, and three as book chapters.

M. Maisuangdibou is a research scholar in the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore. He has three Masters’ Degrees in English, Philosophy, and Theology and two University Grant Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) in English and Philosophy. Besides, he has a Doctorate Degree in Theology from the Senate of Serampore, West Bengal. He has published five books in his name, and he also has contributed several articles both in national and international journals.

Pravat Kumar Mallick, now retired, is known throughout the state and outside as a histo­rian, writer and orator. Dr. Mallick did his first MA in Indian History and Culture from Sambalpur University, securing first position of his batch (1979-81). Subsequently he did his second MA in Modern History (1984) and worked JRF in ICHR Project (1985). In 1998 he got a Senior Teacher Fellowship from the Govt. of Odisha (1998). Dr. Mallick has two PhD degrees to his credit and 80 research articles, 5 text books, and 2 reference books on history.

Madan Meena is a visual artist and cultural researcher from Rajasthan. He has worked extensively in crafts and oral traditions with focus on the Adivasi, nomadic, and de-notified tribes. His important publications are ‘Nurturing Walls’ and ‘Tejaji Gatha’. Presently he is Honorary Director of the Adivasi Academy-Tejgadh in Gujarat. He also teaches as a visiting faculty member at some of the important fashion design institutes of India.

Tarun Mene has a Master’s and a PhD degree in Anthropology. Presently, he holds the position of Senior Assistant Professor at the Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies (AITS), Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh. He has co-edited six impactful books and over 15 articles in various international and national journals. He has several projects to his credit. Notably, his research interests encompass a broad spectrum of tribal culture and society, with a distinctive emphasis on investigating the complex dynamics of suicide within tribal communities.

Rajiv Miso is Assistant Professor of History at JT Government Model Degree College, Roing, Arunachal Pradesh. He boasts a distinguished academic record, having obtained his MPhil and PhD with a Gold Medal from Rajiv Gandhi University. His research contribu­tions are indeed noteworthy, evident through his publications of books and articles, as well as his active participation in numerous seminars of international, national, and regional significance. Notably, he was previously affiliated with the Tribal Transition Project at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London University, collaborating closely with the British Museum, UK.

Binod Narayan, MA, MPhil, PhD, possesses teaching experience of more than 25 years. Currently he is working as the Associate Professor at University Department of Sociology, Ranchi University, Ranchi. He has experience working as an ICSSR Research Fellow. His articles have been published in many international and national journals. He is also the member of Research Council and Board of Studies at Ranchi University.

Taimaya Ragui is a tribal-indigenous researcher from Ukhrul, Northeast India. He received his PhD in theology from the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies in Bangalore, India. He is currently a research tutor at The Shepherd’s Academy of Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life (Oxford, UK).

Bindu Ramachandran is Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Dean of Social Sciences at Kannur University in Kerala. She received her MA and PhD from the University of Calicut and availed of a Post-Doctoral fellowship from Asia Research Centre, London School of Economics, England. She has been awarded the National Research Award from UGC for undertaking postdoctoral research among the marine fishers of Kerala. She has published more than fifty papers in national and international journals and completed many research projects in tribal and non-tribal areas. Dr. Bindu is an approved research guide in Anthropology and Chief Editor of the Journal of Human Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal of Kannur University.

Lipika Ravichandran is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her on-going work focuses on the axis of Self­Morality-Nationalism with its sources in religious and linguistic traditions concerning Tamil Nadu. Her other areas of interest include indigenous philosophies, native environ­mentalism, and colonial construction of identities. She has done an extensive ethnographic study of erstwhile Criminal Tribes in Tamil Nadu.

Rajesh Roshan, MA, MPhil, PhD in Anthropology has rich experience of working in vari­ous research projects in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. He has quite a good number of research publications in edited books and scientific journals. Dr. Roshan as a Research Associate (Cultural) in the Anthropological Survey of India, Jagdalpur, Bastar, Chhattisgarh has intensively worked among the Scheduled Tribes of the Bastar region. Presently he is working as a Research Officer (Social Studies) in the Office of the Registrar General, India, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi.

Rusievan Shangpliang teaches history at Synod College, Shillong. He specialised in modern history during his postgraduate studies. His areas of interest in research include Christianity, Culture, Historiography, and Material Culture. He has to his credit one book, a number of chapters, and articles published in edited books, journals, and proceedings. He has also pre­sented papers in National and International seminars/conferences in India and abroad. He is currently the Treasurer of the renowned North East India History Association (NEIHA).

Sasmita Rani Shasini is Assistant Professor in the School of History, Gangadhar Meher University, Sambalpur, Odisha. She holds a PhD Degree from Hyderabad Central University in the field of Modern Indian History. She has served the Govt. of Odisha in various capaci­ties such as Administrator, Lecturer, etc. before joining the University in 2020. Her area of specialisation is Legal History particularly issues related to the crime, law, and policing in Colonial India. Apart from this she is interested in women’s history, environmental history, and tribal and ethnographic research.

Vinamrta has anr MA (Sociology) from IGNOU, New Delhi and is a recipient of regu­lar Doctoral Fellowship program of Junior Research Fellowship and Senior Research Fellowship of University Grants Commission, Ministry of HRD, Government of India. She is pursuing her PhD as a Senior Research Fellow from Ranchi University, Ranchi. She did the Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development from XISS, Ranchi and also received the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Scholarship. She has book chapters and 11 articles in national and international journals.