Identity Construction in Colonial Goalpara ( J X Ssj V Oa V
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Spaces, Borders, Histories: Identity Construction in Colonial Goalpara ( j x ssj v oa V Sanghamitra Misra This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Ph.D. at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, July 2004 1 ProQuest Number: 10673054 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10673054 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract The thesis traces the construction of a regional identity in the historically transitional area of Goalpara, located on the western borders of the colonial province of Assam, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The relationship between the emergence of new concepts of political space and changes in the political economy informs this work, which begins with the entry of the colonial state into the region and its transition from an initially hesitant power, relying on the symbolic memory of previous empires, to a more confident and decisively interventionist one, dependent on rent collection and a centralized and effective apparatus of control. The second chapter locates the emergence of a cultural identity in a region of overlapping and multiple sovereignties, as new concepts of territoriality and sovereignty were imposed under colonial rule. It studies the subsequent displacement of indigenous concepts of space and the refashioning of social relationships between local groups. It explores the attempt at a construction of communities into singular, substantive entities in a region where, despite increasing sedenterisation, the adoption of sedentary or non-sedentary lifestyles was far from rigid and determined. Discussed here is the relationship between topography and politics. The narrative is then carried on to the third chapter, on the colonial state's determination of social and political space through the discourse of mapping and the creation of a centralized, integrated structure and system of social action, evident in the role of colonial law. The thesis does not argue for a seamless hegemony of the colonial state. Rather, it views colonial projects as being shaped in varied encounters with the colonised which involved a frequent circumvention and contestation of the state's claims to superiority. The significance of the autonomy and agency of the colonised becomes evident in history writing, a discourse of legitimacy used by both the colonial state and Assamese nationalism. The fourth chapter explores the ways in which the delimiting of different forms of space in the modern colonial district of Goalpara was both reinforced and resisted through the narrative structure of history. It recognises the role of history writing in the imagining of a 'Goalparia' identity and views such writing, which resisted singular narratives of Assamese nationalism, as discourses that always exist marginally in certain areas, challenging, destabilising and displacing the dominant discourses. The last chapter looks at similar resistance and imagining of a collective identity by Goalpara's traditional elite within the realm of language. The educated middle class who spoke in a rational and liberal voice offered better potential for political investment for the colonial state than the traditional powers but the framework of colonial law still allowed for a continuance of aspects of the 'old regime'. This chapter studies the concerns of this marginalised traditional elite and explores their reinvention of roles within the newly emerging and expanding public sphere, which centred around producing a political consciousness through a contest over the use of language. 2 Table of Contents Glossary 4 Abbreviations 5 Note on Transliteration 6 Map 7 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 10 Chapter 1 Frontier Spaces: Production and Power in Pre- 28 Colonial Goalpara Chapter 2 Colonial Interventions: Mapping a Land and Its People 66 Chapter 3 New Classifications: Law, Political Economy and the 116 Late Colonial State Chapter 4 Imagining a Region: Language and the Reinvention of 163 a Local Elite Chapter 5 Writing Histories: Counter Narratives and the Idea of a Goalparia Identity 217 Conclusion 249 Bibliography 259 3 Glossary Abwabs Cesses Adhiars Sharecropper entitled to half a share of the produce Aghur Precious, fragrant wood Amlas Clerks or ministerial officers Annas 1/16 of a rupee Barkandezes Mercenary soldiers and retainers Bhati Literally, downstream but also southern Assam and eastern and southern Bengal Bhatias People from bhati Bigha A measure of land, about 1/3 of an acre Char/chapori Flood plains Chokeys Toll houses Chukanidars Tenure holder below a jotedar Cowries Shells used as a medium of exchange Dar-chukanidar Tenure holder below a chukanidar Desiya Bhasa Local term for the language of Goalpara Diwan Zamindari officer concerned with finance Haats Weekly markets Jauna A robe Jote/jotedar Cultivable land/holder of a jote directly from the state or the zamindar Kabuliat A deed recording the acceptance of the terms of the patta Lakhiraj Rent free privileged tenure Mahout Elephant driver Maunds A measurement of weight, about 82 lbs Moishal A person employed to look after buffaloes Narayani Rupees The currency of the state of Cooch Behar Nirikh Rate, a market price Paat Jute (Bengali) Paikars Itinerant merchants Pargana Subordinate unit in revenue administration Patta Lease/tenancy/ownership documentation of land Payal Pattas Perpetual leases granted by jotedars to cultivators in order to reclaim wastelands Phandi Elephant catcher Pilos Officials of the Bhutan monarchy Puthis Printed or hand-written texts Qanungo Revenue officer Sairat Non-agricultural duties Salami Capitation fee usually paid at first assumption of tenancy or for clearing fresh land Sanad A deed/charter granted by a ruler Soubahs Officials of the Bhutan monarchy Vamshavalis Family Histories 4 Abbreviations ALCP Assam Legislative Council Proceedings APAI Assam Police Abstract of Intelligence ASF Assam Secretariat Files ASP Assam Secretariat Proceedings BTA Bengal Tenancy Act Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies GTA Goalpara Tenancy Act HPP Home Political Proceedings NAI National Archives of India OIOC Oriental and India Office Collection PHA Political History of Assam 5 Note on Transliteration Although Y is being increasingly used as the phonetically correct alphabet for the transliteration of Assamese S-sounding words, I have avoided the more scientific transliterations in favour of the conventional mode of spelling to enable an easy reading of the work. Some eighteenth century forms have been retained when it is clear what the original word is. Similarly some familiar spellings of words and place names have been retained without 'modern' transliterations in order to avoid confusion with spellings used in quotations. Except where indicated, all translations in this work are mine. Some terms used only once have been italicised and explained in the text. Other non-English words are included in the glossary and italicised when they first appear but are otherwise printed in roman. 6 o r£ _ §•3 » g m c HouU4, j n d t mj e$ 7 « '*1 ,*<’>' 7 W.W. Hunter, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol.6, London, 1907. Acknowledgements I thank my supervisor, Peter Robb, for being a constant source of inspiration and untiring criticism and for helping me formulate and redefine my arguments with incredible patience. Over the last four years, Peter expanded the boundaries of supervision continuously to provide much needed intellectual and emotional support. This thesis would not have been possible without him. I thank Shubo Basu and Avril Powell for their comments on parts of my work. Gautam Bhadra's comments helped me clarify some of my ideas at an early stage of writing and I am grateful for his suggestions. In Guwahati, I have always been impressed by Biren Datta's knowledge of Goalpara and am grateful to him for many long discussions and for his willingness to help me with material on my subject. Tripathnath Chakravarty made me a part of his family at Dhubri and shared his rich memories of the place. I thank him for his kindness. A large part of my archival notes was made at Ajit Barua's home in Dhubri. I cannot thank him enough for his generosity in allowing me access to his collection of papers on Goalpara. Arup Saikia generously helped me, both with a range of material and his interesting ideas on Assam's history. Although she would have not known it, Pratima Pandey Barua's life and songs have been a source of inspiration and in a way, the reason, for working on Goalpara. I thank Sukanta and Supriya Choudhuri for throwing open their home to me on my visits to Calcutta and for helping me with my research. Neeraj and Javed Malik have always been interested in my work and I am grateful to have them in my life. I am thankful to Elizabeth Robb for her warmth, affection and support. I thank the Association of Commonwealth Universities for funding the major part of my research and the Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation for