Prof. Sanjib Goswami | Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn (original) (raw)

Papers by Prof. Sanjib Goswami

academia.edu, 2024

[Original Article] In 2022, when Narendra Modi announced a set of five principles called pancha-p... more [Original Article] In 2022, when Narendra Modi announced a set of five principles called pancha-pran as the way forward for a developed or Viksit Bharat, little did anyone link these to languages. One of the pancha-pran, which related to erasing even the minutest form of servitude was generally seen as removing all colonial influences. However, when the Modi government recognized five regional languages as classical languages in 2024, there was a need to understand the significance of this recognition. I argue in this paper that by this recognition, there is attempts to not only break away from colonial influences but also to posit these languages out of all foreign including European and Arabic influences. This paper presents the relation of the pancha-pran with classical languages and how this relationship could strengthen the history, heritage, sociology, and anthropology of Bharat.

Yoga and Decolonization in North East Bharat, 2024

[Book Chapter] Any political organization has to be based on a philosophy through which it frames... more [Book Chapter] Any political organization has to be based on a philosophy through which it frames its policies and programmes that are then implemented nationally and regionally. In Bharat (India), while all national parties have ideology driven agendas, but only few have built up a philosophical narrative of their leadership. As such, the underlying principles based on which a leader is motivated to work is often neglected and overlooked. Leadership in such cases is reduced to individuals who are seen merely as executives who achieve targets and milestones. However, leadership is much more than a set of data. This paper analyses the leadership of Narendra Modi, the present Prime Minister of India aligning his mode of work with a theory of karma yoga, more particularly sewa yoga.

Academia, 2024

The Har Ghar Tiranga is an invitation to each and every Bharatiya to bring our National Flag or T... more The Har Ghar Tiranga is an invitation to each and every Bharatiya to bring our National Flag or Tiranga into our homes and proudly hoist it in celebration of our nation's independence. But in essence, it is much more than just hoisting a flag. The Bharatiya National Flag is not just a symbol but a profound representation of our collective pride and unity and signifies our collective efforts towards a Viksit Bharat. In this sense, Har Ghar Tiranga is actually a movement for Har Dil Tiranga because the whole movement is to inculcate the Tiranga into our hearts. In this backdrop, we all do our part for a Viksit Bharat and towards a safe, united and proud nation building exercise. Tracing the history of colonial and post colonial Assam, this commentary article briefly discusses the visionary steps that our Prime Minister Pujya Narendra Modi has taken to ensure the constitutional security and emotional attachment of the state to the concept of Bharatiyata by insulating it from the politics of immigration.

ICHR National Conference Proceedings, 2023

[Paper presented in ICHR National Conference] Two important themes have generally escaped the nar... more [Paper presented in ICHR National Conference] Two important themes have generally escaped the narratives of the Indian freedom movement. While scholars have highlighted the role of the "intelligentsia" in different revolutions and protests worldwide, such a categorization is missing in India. While scholarship have focused on moderates, extremists, and revolutionaries as different dimensions of the freedom movement, a fourth dimension of the movementthe role of the intelligentsia in framing regional and national identitieshas largely gone unnoticed in Assam. Relying on the intelligentsia as a dimension of the Russian revolution and the role of a similar class of intelligentsia during the Second World War, this paper argues that by creating a traditional distinction between intellectuals and protestors, an adequate explanation of the freedom struggle in Assam remains unfulfilled. At the same time, the near absence of "housewife" as a category in the narratives and research of the freedom movement, their participation, contribution and influences is another theme that this paper highlights. The paper centres on the character of Makan whose family had been at the forefront of the freedom movement in different dimensions. Based on Makan and her family as a case study, this paper analyses her role to understand the two themes of intelligentsia and housewife in the freedom movement. It is based on primary interviews and secondary literature. The paper will add to the literature of the freedom movement by highlighting the unsung role of the intelligentsia and housewives in the Indian freedom movement in Assam.

Sonkolpa Online, 2023

[Published in Sonkolpa Online, March 2023] The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam is oft... more [Published in Sonkolpa Online, March 2023] The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam is often seen as a post 2016 event because it was in this year that the party formed the first state government. However, the fact remains, that the party has had a long history of ideological training, struggles, and organizations that led to the 2016 result. In this long journey since 1980, the role of Narendra Modi in guiding the party to develop from a political organization into an ideology based electoral organization is noteworthy. This paper, based on personal knowledge, interviews and secondary sources, briefly traces these under-researched events in the history of the BJP in Assam.

Mandakinee, Journal of the Assamese Dept, Puthimari College, Assam, 2023

[Peer Reviewed Published Paper] The Vedas are the main source of Indian philosophy from which six... more [Peer Reviewed Published Paper] The Vedas are the main source of Indian philosophy from which six main schools emerged. One of these schools of philosophy is yoga. Yoga philosophy is concerned with unity. In order to reach this unity, there are three main paths within yoga philosophy. These are gyana yoga, bhakti yoga, and karma yoga. Gyana yoga (often written in English as jyana yoga) aims to achieve unity of existence through the path of knowledge. Based on secondary sources, this paper presents the basics of gyana yoga, its main principles, the dimensions of mind and knowledge as well as the approaches to practising gyana yoga. The paper also presents the reflection of gyana yoga in the main sects of Hinduism such as shaivism, shaktism, and vaishnavism. The paper is an exploratory presentation of gyana yoga for the uninitiated

[Journal of Assam Research Society.Vol.XLiii, 2019-20, part 1 & 2], 2020

[Published Paper] The Assam Movement (1979-1985) has been the subject matter of many scholarly wr... more [Published Paper] The Assam Movement (1979-1985) has been the subject matter of many scholarly writings, but none of these focused on the Movement in relation to the global context. Thus, there is a need to understand students' activism in Assam in relation to the larger student movements worldwide. By relying on several secondary sources, and primary interactions, this paper presents how failure of political leadership to address socio-political and identity issues had led to student movements worldwide. It thus argues that the Assam Movement has also been a part of a larger fabric of global student movements and was not a stand-alone agitation. The paper will add to the existing knowledge on the subject of students' activism.

[Conference Paper] Modinomics as a political ideology goes deeper than integral humanism and can ... more [Conference Paper] Modinomics as a political ideology goes deeper than integral humanism and can be looked at as the pragmatic form of integral humanism. In other words, Modinomics lays out a practical way to realize synergy and equilibrium of human and society. Integral humanism traces its origin to the non-dualistic philosophies of the Vedas, particularly the Advaite Vedanta school of thought. In doing so, both Modinomics and integral humanism extends the concept of ekatma or organic whole from the cosmos to the individual, family, society, state and statecraft. Therefore, in order for the entire ecosystem to move on the path of purushartha or meaning of life, the four characteristics or attributes of all organisms i.e. mind, body, soul and energy has to find equilibrium and the unity of consciousness. Modinomics tries to build this unity by further extending the concepts of integral humanism to the contemporary world by building a governance model based on a pancha-nistha or five pillars of karma yoga viz sewa, sadhana, sanman, samarpan and sahayog. While there is much literature on integral humanism as a non-western world view and political ideology, the study of Modinomics and its relation to integral humanism, yoga, vedanta philosophy, and peace is an under researched topic. Based on the writings and speeches of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Narendra Modi and on other secondary sources, this paper initially discusses the concept of peace, integral humanism and Modinomics and their relation to advaita vedanta. It then presents how Modinomics proposes to bring social and individual unity and peace through the medium of karma yoga. The paper assumes significance because of the importance of yoga in the world stage and will add to the rich literature on yoga and peace studies.

Journal of Folkloristics, (Vol: December) Gauhati University , 2018

(Published Paper) In this article, I present a central conceptual knot that concerns North East I... more (Published Paper) In this article, I present a central conceptual knot that concerns North East India’s historical writing: the interrelationship between culture and colonization. I explore the ways in which approaches to North East India’s colonial past have been transformed over time, more particularly post 1857. I attempt to historicize these shifts by framing them against international intellectual developments and the cultural and political currents that reconfigured the past in this region. I argue that new lines of inquiry are required to ask some probing questions about the cultural manipulation that history writing did in a colonial context.

Langlit, 2016

During the colonial period, the English language was used to highlight colonial supremacy and hen... more During the colonial period, the English language was used to highlight colonial supremacy and hence the inferiority of the colonized native population in Assam. Later, political events during the independence movement added to the cleavages between English and Assamese language. In the post colonial period, these differences gave rise to an Assamese linguistic sub-national movement which viewed the teaching and learning of English as a colonial imposition and reduced the importance of the language to a subordinate position. This paper looks at the challenges that English teaching and learning face in Assam. It suggests that language policies should be so framed that English acts as a complementary force to the Assamese language and does not create an antagonistic and damaging relationship with it.

Australian Institute of Judicial Administration and Monash University, 2010

Since dispute and conflict resolution in courts often leads to societal frictions and tends to di... more Since dispute and conflict resolution in courts often leads to societal frictions and tends to dissipate valuable time, effort and money, it has always been felt that there is a need to develop a harmonious system of alternative methods of dispute resolution. India has a long tradition and history of such methods being practiced in society at the grass root level and North East India occupies a unique place in this regard. This geo- political region has a varied legal pluralism which, apart from the adversarial court system also comprises several non-adversarial justice delivery systems such as customary law, lok-adalats (people's court) and village panchayats (village councils), in which justice is arrived at summarily without too much emphasis on legal technicalities.

International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research on Science, Society and Culture (IJIRSSC), 2017

A B S T R A C T Immigration issues have become a major political issue in North East India, leadi... more A B S T R A C T Immigration issues have become a major political issue in North East India, leading to much conflict in last few decades. The issue poses challenges to democracy by affecting demography as well as social, political and cultural-religious setups. Scholars have generally analyzed these conflicts from a binary colonial standpoint. But recent research reveal several new underpinnings that point to other causal reasons for the breaks in social cohesion. This paper presents new research on these issues by putting forward two new concepts that has not yet been researched in the context of North East. This broader understanding will pave way forward to understand the fragile and complex situation in the region.

Books by Prof. Sanjib Goswami

Itihas Sankalan: Articles on Indian History, 2021

[Book Chapter] This short article on Indian/Bharatiya music was originally delivered as a talk in... more [Book Chapter] This short article on Indian/Bharatiya music was originally delivered as a talk in the weekly online talk series organized by Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Samity, Assam, India during the Covid lockdown period 2020. It is a short concise presentation of the basic contours of Bharatiya music. This will help readers to appreciate how Bharatiya music is different from western music. This talk and article was in Assamese and I have translated it to English. Later, this and other talks were converted to English articles and published in the form of an edited e-book titled Itihas Sankalan: Articles on Indian History and is available on Amazon (ASIN B09JKHTV2N). Print copy of this e-book is also available in Amazon USA (ISBN 979-8497253542).

Voice of the Other - Understanding Marginal Identities, 2016

This is a book chapter. Please see the book: Voice of the Other - Understanding Marginal Identi... more This is a book chapter. Please see the book:
Voice of the Other - Understanding Marginal Identities,
New Delhi:GenNext Publications,
pp 119-136

Thesis Chapters by Prof. Sanjib Goswami

Swinburne University of Technology Research Bank, 2016

This Ph.D. thesis focuses on contemporary ethnic and social conflict in India’s North East. t con... more This Ph.D. thesis focuses on contemporary ethnic and social conflict in India’s North East. t concentrates on the consequences of indirect rule colonialism and emphasises the ways in which colonial constructions of ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ identity still inform social and ethnic strife. This thesis’ first part focuses on history and historiography and outlines the ways in which indirect rule colonialism was implemented in colonial
Assam after a shift away from an emphasis on Britain’s ‘civilizing mission’ targeting indigenous elites. A homogenising project was then replaced by one focusing on the management of colonial populations that were perceived as inherently distinct from each other. Indirect rule drew the boundaries separating different colonised constituencies. These boundaries proved resilient and this thesis outlines the ways in
which indirect rule was later incorporated into the constitution and political practice of postcolonial India. Eventually, the governmental paradigm associated with indirect rule gave rise to a differentiated citizenship, a dual administration, and a triangular system of social relations comprising ‘indigenous’ groups, non-indigenous Assamese,
and ‘migrants’. Using settler colonial studies as an interpretative paradigm, and a number of semi-structured interviews with community spokespersons, this thesis’ second part focuses on the ways in which different constituencies in India’s North East perceive ethnic identity, ongoing violence, ‘homeland’, and construct different narratives pertaining to social and ethnic conflict. Recurring unrest in India’s North
East is thus contextualised in its historical dimension. Scholarly discourse has traditionally analysed these conflicts by focusing on a number of binaries: colonial / postcolonial, development / underdevelopment, civilised / uncivilised. Emphasising a triangular system of relationships, this thesis presents an alternative interpretation of the ongoing social and ethnic conflict.

Drafts by Prof. Sanjib Goswami

academia.edu, 2019

Abstract Colonialism in India continues to have far-reaching consequences on people’s lives. Pos... more Abstract

Colonialism in India continues to have far-reaching consequences on people’s lives. Post-1857, a new form of colonial rule was introduced that interpreted several aspects of socio-culture life and created triangulation in many parts of the society. The effect of these changes also affected the religious life in India. In interpreting Hinduism in the colonial frontier, European scholarship indicated two critical ways that classified the religion as a particular, homogenous religious element: first, by finding the essence of the Indian thought in certain Sanskrit writings and second, by analyzing Indian religion by utilizing contemporary European understandings of Christian conventions as an epistemological measuring stick. Hinduism was thus reinterpreted and recast with much Christian underpinnings. This led to separation of the social and cultural aspects of Hinduism from its religious elements resulting in a westernized form of Hinduism. This has led to confusion on the boundaries and parameters of Hinduism in the post-colonial period and, though having been in India over millennia, Hindus now finds themselves at the crossroad of identity. This paper discusses these colonial changes and looks at how to carry forward the study of Hinduism in future.

Talks by Prof. Sanjib Goswami

Public Speech , 2022

The idea of Bharat is an all-encompassing, all inclusive, comprehensive and profoundly charming c... more The idea of Bharat is an all-encompassing, all inclusive, comprehensive and profoundly charming conceptualisation of our ancient cultural heritage. It is adroitly symbolised by the vedic quote Aham Brahmasmi i.e. We Are from Divine and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakum i.e. Entire Universe Is One Clan. In this sense the idea of Bharat is a millennium old civilization construct which has flowed from the Vedic period to the modern times. It is an idea which is comfortably understandable, capable of catching anybody's imaginative faculties of positive affirmation and creativity. The idea of Bharat is adorned with the pride of "swa" and includes our pride in our swa-bhasha, swa-bhusha, swa-sanskriti, swabhiman and swachata, all of which flows from the eternal knowledge and culture of Bharatiya civilization. From this pre-Vedic sanatan gyan and sanskriti, evolved the Vedas in written form. The Vedas were later organized into four comprehensive sections by Veda Vyas and other great rishis into the Rig Veda, Sham Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Vedas. Upanishas, Upavedas and other maha-kavya followed. In due course, from these Vedas, six schools of Bharatiya darshan or philosophy developed. These are known as Samkhya, Yoga, Vedanta, Vaisheshikha, Nyaya, and Mimansa. All these philosophies had one central concept which was to build "ekatmata" or "unity". This unity is sought to be achieved by different schools of philosophies in different ways. For example, Samakhya talks of unity between purusha (individual) and prakriti (environment); Yoga talks of unity between jivatma (consciousness) and paramatma (super consciousness); while Advaite Vedanta talks of unity of mind, body, soul and energy. Thus, unity is the core of the idea of Vedic Bharat. Colonialism created fractures in this idea of Bharat and destroyed it by colonising the mind. It led to partition and horrors that were worse than the holocaust. In this background, there is a need to move towards a Naya Bharat or New Bharat by decolonizing the mind and erasing the colonial fractures to create Vedic ekatmata / unity.

[Report] Indian education system has always followed the British system since independence. This ... more [Report] Indian education system has always followed the British system since independence. This has detached the students from the history, culture and heritage of the millenia old Indian civilization.Veda means knowledge and Vedic means unearthing that knowledge. This report has thus been prepared to present the feasibility of an alternate model of higher education underpinned by Bharatiya ethos. While attempting to do so, this report presents the feasibility of combining western education with Bharatiyata to inculcate a complete ekatma manav darshan, or philosophy of integral humanism, that synthesises mind, body, soul and intellect. The proposed institution to further this new model of learning (it will be the 5th such university in the world) is named Naranarayan International Vedic University, which hopefully will be located in Assam, India.

Conference Presentations by Prof. Sanjib Goswami

Democracy, Development and Civil Society in India, Melbourne University, Australia (Conference Proceedings), 2007

[Published Conference Paper] Migration – external or internal, legal or illegal - has become a ma... more [Published Conference Paper] Migration – external or internal, legal or illegal - has become a major source of conflict and instability in many parts of India, particularly in the northeast and Assam. Movement of people through migration and consequent demographic changes pose challenges to democracy and development as they affect the socio-political fabric of any society. It also has an affect on the landholding pattern and to a considerable extent on the labour market and the politics of labour management. The legal framework and the judicial system can play a significant role in preventing imbalances in the labour market and landholding pattern to create a viable environment for development. However, it depends on proper strategies and implementation methods of the laws. The paper analyses the effects of various forms of migration and legal provisions as regards landholding and managing the labour market in Assam. Through an examination of the changes and experiences in implementation of various laws relating to migration, the paper looks at their implications for labour, democracy and development.

ICSSR Sponsored National Conference on Literature and Nation Building: Perspectives from North East, 2022

The study of subalternity in literature, especially in the context of indigenous women of North E... more The study of subalternity in literature, especially in the context of indigenous women of North East India and relating it to understand their marginalization in society has been an under-research topic. In many of her fictional works, Mamang Dai has portrayed varied indigenous women of the North East highlighting their subdued conditions. Through her works she has voiced out the unique problems of marginalized indigenous women. The present paper attempts to unearth the status of indigenous women from subaltern perspectives as depicted in two of her fictional literary creations. Mamang Dai’s book “The Legends of Pensam” appeared in 2006 and is an assemblage of some allied stories narrating the hard life of indigenous inhabitants of the hills in Arunachal Pradesh. The book reflects the oral narratives of the Adi community in fiction and highlights the social dominion of age-old indigenous customs and beliefs where women continue to be marginalized. Dai’s second book “Stupid Cupid” is a story of relationships of an indigenous woman depicting many facets of love and its complications in an urban setting. The novel starts with the lead character, Adna, setting up a business and trying to break the stereotype of the marginalized indigenous woman. However, the book finally ends up by highlighting the strong underpinnings of subalternity of the indigenous woman who moves back to Arunachal Pradesh, thereby projecting indigenous feminine emancipation as superficial. Through a traditional review of the subaltern and marginalization literature, and relating it to the works of Mamang Dai, this paper will help in understanding feminine marginalization issues in contemporary North East India.

academia.edu, 2024

Yoga and Decolonization in North East Bharat, 2024

Academia, 2024

ICHR National Conference Proceedings, 2023

Sonkolpa Online, 2023

Mandakinee, Journal of the Assamese Dept, Puthimari College, Assam, 2023

[Journal of Assam Research Society.Vol.XLiii, 2019-20, part 1 & 2], 2020

Journal of Folkloristics, (Vol: December) Gauhati University , 2018

Langlit, 2016

Australian Institute of Judicial Administration and Monash University, 2010

International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research on Science, Society and Culture (IJIRSSC), 2017

Itihas Sankalan: Articles on Indian History, 2021

Voice of the Other - Understanding Marginal Identities, 2016

Swinburne University of Technology Research Bank, 2016

academia.edu, 2019

Abstract Colonialism in India continues to have far-reaching consequences on people’s lives. Pos... more Abstract

Public Speech , 2022

Democracy, Development and Civil Society in India, Melbourne University, Australia (Conference Proceedings), 2007

ICSSR Sponsored National Conference on Literature and Nation Building: Perspectives from North East, 2022

Social Science Textbook, Nagaland, 2022

This article on Nagaland was written as part of a larger project for school textbooks on social s... more This article on Nagaland was written as part of a larger project for school textbooks on social sciences for Nagaland schools. This and other articles have seen become part of the school textbooks in the state. It is my humble contribution towards advancing the knowledge of one of the states of North East India. My proposed book on North East India, Ashta Jyoti, will include this and other chapters.