Gender Implications of Tribal Customary Law

Book Details

• Author: Melvil Pereira

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Binding: Hardcover

• Release Date: 01-11-2017

• ISBN: 9788131608739

• Pages: 258

• Languages: English

• Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches

• Sale Territory: India

About the Book

"Gender Implications of Tribal Customary Law" examines the evolving status of women in tribal communities of North-East India, focusing on the interface between customary law and modernisation forces. This book explores the origin, practice, and prevalence of tribal customary law and offers a thorough analysis of the role women play in shaping family lives, guiding communities, and building societies.

The contributors to this volume, representing various tribes from the Seven Sisters of North-East India, investigate the changing roles of women in education, economy, religion, and politics. They highlight how women at the grassroots level are impacted by customary law and the limitations it imposes on their rights, particularly regarding property inheritance, maintenance rights in case of divorce, and political participation.

The articles also discuss the challenges posed by modern forces, such as market-driven changes, and how these shifts have exacerbated the shortcomings of the tribal law system. This book provides critical insights into gender justice issues and aims to spark further reflection and action for the empowerment of women in these communities.

Contents

Part I: Theoretical Perspectives

1. Customary Law, Anthropological Jurisprudence and Gender Issue: Situating Women of North-East India in Feminist Discourse

2. What Do the Gender Ideologies in Khasi and Naga Societies Reveal?

3. The Hen that Crows: An Insight into the ‘Gender Implications of Tribal Customary Law’ through Some Literary Works by a Few North-East Indian Writers

4. Tribal Women in North-East India: Between the Lines of Customary and Positive Law

5. Framing Naga Customary Practices through the Lens of Gender Justice

6. Gender, Customary Laws and Codification: The North-Eastern Perspectives

7. Negotiating Equality: Endorsing Women’s Rights through Customary Laws

8. Locating Women in Customary Laws: A Study of Three Tribes of North-East India

9. Status of Women in North-East India: Gender-based Violence Index and Customary Law

Part II: Customary Laws of Some Tribal Communities of North-East India
10. Gender Implications of Muklom Matrimonial Laws: Change and Continuity
11. Status and Role of Women in Contemporary Nokte Society
12. Women in Hrangkhol Society: A Case Study in Dima Hasao District
13. Women as Partners: Insights into Hmar Household Decision-Making
14. Political Power, Culture and Mishing Women: A Descriptive Review
15. Women’s Status and Customary Law in Amri Karbi Society: Observations from the Field
16. Role of Women in the Customary Practices of the Paite
17. Gender Implications in Jaintia Customary Practices
18. Can Culture Contribute to Women’s Empowerment? Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in a Matrilineal Society
19. Property Rights in a Tribal Society: Perspectives from the Khasi Matrilineal Society
20. Status of Mizo Women and Land Related Customary Laws
21. Women and Family in Naga Society
22. Ao Women and Village Politics: Gender Implications of Tribal Customary Laws
23. Customary Laws and Traditional Practices of the Pochury Tribe of Nagaland
24. Women’s Access to Education and its Implications for Tribal Society: Special Reference to Women of Tripuri Tribe of Tripura

About the Author

Melvil Pereira is the Director at North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati, and a member of the Assam State Backward Class Commission. He has specialised in the tribal customary law of North-East India and has written extensively on ethnic conflicts. He has co-authored works such as Land Relations and Ethnic Conflicts: The Case of North Eastern India and Growing Up in a Conflict Zone: Children Surviving Conflict in Tripura.

Rajendra P. Athparia is a Senior Fellow at the North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati. He has previously worked for the Anthropological Survey of India and is an expert on tribal law and culture in the North-East region.

Sunumi Changmi is a researcher with the Anthropological Survey of India, Nagpur, and has a keen interest in gender studies, border, and migration studies.

Jyotikona Chetia is a Research Associate at North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati, with a focus on child rights, gender studies, and migration.