Split in the Perception of Identity: A Case from Gurkhas of India Saxena Nishant Research Associate, Anthropological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, Email: nishant.7483@gmail.com Online published on 5 February, 2016. Abstract The present study is a case from Gurkhas of Dehradun in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Gurkhas, popularly known for their soldier skills, are presently going through a phase of transition and identity crisis. During the course of an extended stay in the group, a conflict in the thinking pattern of Gurkha youth and old emerged. A tendency is emerging in Gurkha youth to break out of the tag of ‘Nepali’ (citizen of Nepal) and concurrently the old are trying to preserve their identity by not mixing with ‘others’. This gave me the opportunityto investigate for the self-regulatoryfocus orientation (SRFO) (promotion/prevention type) among the Gurkhas and also the kind of counterfactuals (additive/subtractive) generated by them. Self-regulation with a promotion focus is characterised by concern for growth while prevention focus is typified by concern about maintenance of the status-quo. Counterfactuals are thoughts of what might have been, of how the past might have turned out differently. They could be either additive (addition of aspects that were not in fact present) or subtractive (subtraction of aspects that were present). Using range of methods like ethnography, observation, audiovisual aids and structured interviews it was revealed that SRFO and preference for generation of additive and subtractive counterfactuals is different among the young and old Gurkhas of rural and urban Dehradun. Having predilection for promotion and additive thinking, the Gurkha youth symbolises itself more with the notions of growth; whereas the old Gurkha having penchant for prevention and subtractive thinking stand for maintenance of their unique culture. This split in perceptions and identity among different sections of Gurkhas is a manifestation of both the ‘reflexive’ approach of Antony Giddens and importance of ‘how they view their future’ of French existentialists. Top Keywords Self-regulatory Focus orientation, Identity, Counterfactuals, Gurkhas, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. Top |