Global histories, local exclusions
Global histories, local exclusions
This chapter discusses the encounters between the British East India Company in early nineteenth-century Assam and Singpho communities who had expanded their territorial possessions in the region because of the regional disorder of the previous century. These encounters are placed in the context of changes in the nature of the state in Asia as well as in European trading empires, raising questions about the relevance of a simple dichotomy between notions of ‘state’ and ‘non-state’ at this time in this region. The effects of the nascent Assam tea industry are discussed in relation to Singpho migration and internal dynamics of kinship relations and the creation of local hierarchies. The failure of the Company to develop local political institutions that could map onto Singpho-Jinghpaw political culture is explored through the Singpho revolt of 1843 and the effect of this in creating a local outcome of political exclusion.
Keywords: Assam, East India Company, Singpho, Jinghpaw, migration, kinship, tea, state, non-state, Singpho revolt
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