Naga identity: Naga nation as an imagined communities

Nationalism, as a political phenomenon, has gained much currency in the last few centuries. It has aroused large collectives of people and has become the grounds on which economic, cultural and political claims have been made. The nation has also become a marker of identity for individuals and whole societies. In this paper, I would like to look at the beginnings and formation of Naga nationalism and the important economic, cultural and political claims it makes. The beginnings of Naga nationalism could be located in the specific encounter Nagas had with modernity via British administrators and missionaries. From the 1940s onwards, the claims made by Naga nationalism have been met with certain ideological and militarist response from the Indian state. The response of the Indian state has determined the subsequent efforts of the Nagas to define the contours of their nationalism.