India’s northeast is regularly viewed as unique, because of its complex amalgamation of conflict dynamics. This thesis rejects prevailing assumptions that this exceptionalism is autochthonous to the region. The northeast became an exceptional region through an observable historical process. This thesis argues that the northeast’s exceptionalism was dependent on the first decades after independence. In short, it suggests that ‘long decolonisation’ (1942-72) established three transferable trends that were critical for the northeast’s long-term stability. First, the Indian state developed a perception of relative weakness, when confronted with armed groups. Second, distinct regional identity claims became juxtaposed to grander visions for national unity. Third, precedents for how to conduct successful insurgency were established. Furthermore, these trends were forged within a particular part of the northeast, the ‘Assam highlands’. Therefore, the long decolonisation of the Assam highlands established key transferable trends that dictated the long-term stability of India’s northeast.
This argument is a significant departure from previous research. It uses idiosyncratic conceptions of time (the long decolonisation) and space (the Assam highlands) to provide an explanation for the northeast’s instability. This is methodologically unique, when framed against norms in conflict research. Consequently, the thesis provides insights for interdisciplinary expansion. Additionally, this methodological innovation is forged using widely overlooked historical records from archives spanning three continents. Altogether, the thesis intersects with a wide array of literature, especially research focused on borderlands, decolonisation, violence, insurgency and intrastate conflict. This relevance for wider research frames India’s northeast – widely overlooked as a marginal region – as anything but peripheral.
