Dimapur, October 16 : Palgrave Macmillan is reported to have published a “book on the Nagas.” The book ‘Colonization, Proselytization and Identity: The Nagas and Westernization in Northeast India’ is authored by Tezenlo Thong, the author informed in a press release he emailed to the local media on Sunday.
The book “examines the formation of identity of the Nagas in northeast India in light of the proselytizing efforts by the Americans and the colonization by the British in their search for control over areas inhabited by the Nagas which were perfect for tea plantations,” the author explained.
The book also explores the “westernization of Naga culture,” its effect on the Naga nationalist movement, and how it has led to the formation of modern Naga identity.
“As a unique indigenous group, the colonization of the Naga people offers fresh insights into our understanding of the processes and effects of colonization in India, as well as its long-term negative effects, particularly with regards to the preservation of traditional beliefs and customs,” the press release stated.
A profile of the author on the publisher’s website stated Tezenlo Thong to be Ph.D in Religious and Theological Studies, a researcher and writer interested in Indigenous Peoples’ cultural and religious traditions, colonization, proselytization, and colonial/postcolonial studies.
Palgrave Macmillan is an international academic and trade publishing company. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online.
Palgrave Macmillan was created in 2000 when St. Martin’s Press Scholarly and Reference in the USA united with Macmillan Publishers in the UK to combine their worldwide academic publishing operations. The company was known as simply Palgrave until 2002, but has since been known as Palgrave Macmillan.
