This book studies the Gaidinliu uprising led by Rani Gaidinliu, a spiritual and political leader from Northeast India. It follows the journey of Gaidinliu, who was at the forefront of the revolt which turned into a political movement seeking to drive out the British from Manipur and the surrounding Naga areas. The book looks at the Gaidinliu movement as one of many tribal responses to colonial transformation, deprivation, alienation, and extreme oppression of the tribal formations in India. It also critically analyses the diverse colonial modes of tackling the different types of opposition to its rule and examines how the State devised to permanently erase the idea of rebellion from the minds of its subjects as a future strategy.A unique contribution, the book will be indispensable to political science, modern history, gender studies, subaltern studies, political theory, tribal studies, political sociology, political history, colonialism, post-colonial studies, and South Asia studies, particularly those interested in Northeast India.
Sajal Nag, Distinguished Professor in History, Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati, Assam, India.
Preface viiiAcknowledgements xi1 Locating millenarian uprisings in colonial formations 12 Jadonang: the ‘Sadhu’ who commanded stars 273 The colonial counter 734 The Goddess takes over 1015 The encounter 1436 The beleaguered state 1837 The ‘Government Goddess’ 2358 War of the sahibs 2769 The betrayal 349Bibliography 387Index 395