Tracing the Persistent Impulse of a Bedrock Nation to Survive Within the State of India: Mizo Women's Response to War and Forced Migration

This study focused on Mizo village women’s stories. Their voices speak to the persistence of indigenous nations to survive and thrive through community devastation, and illuminate the powerful role women play in a bedrock nation’s survival. The study employed interpretive interactionism to examine the intersection of public actions and private troubles during the independence movement, counter-insurgency and forced village groupings in Mizo country. Independence movements in India’s north-east have been characterized as insurgencies attributed to the isolation of unassimilated “tribals.” Deconstruction challenged this notion in light of fourth world theory. The women’s deep experiential epiphanies evoked essences of what it means to be Mizo. Photovoice combined with their narratives to illuminate the nature of their lives as Mizos today. The women show how the bedrock underneath everyday life persists through crises and turning point events. They also expose challenges for indigenous nations.