THE KUKI POLITICAL MOVEMENT: From Homeland Aspirations to Constitutional Politics

Description

The Kuki political movement has evolved through a complex history of identity, homeland aspirations, conflict, displacement, political negotiation, and the search for security and self-governance. This book traces that evolution from its historical foundations to the profound political transformation following May 2023, examining the movement’s changing political vocabulary—from homeland and self-determination to autonomy, federal accommodation, Separate Administration, and other constitutional possibilities—within the framework of Indian federalism and democratic constitutionalism. It explores the roles of political institutions, negotiators, elected representatives, civil society, and community leadership, while asking how a diverse democracy can reconcile identity, security, political representation, territorial governance, and self-governance with democratic legitimacy and lasting peace. At its heart, this is a study of a political movement at a critical constitutional juncture and its continuing search for a peaceful, legitimate, and sustainable political settlement.