The Place of Women in Naga Society

Naga society is a casteless and classless society where, traditionally, women have enjoyed a high social positioning and a fair spirit of independence, playing very central roles in family and community affairs; however, it is also a patriarchal, patrilineal and patrilocal society where, for instance, family names are carried forward through sons, who are also the family members that inherit family land.

The main purpose of this book is to discuss Naga society and its cultural practices with a specific focus on the status of women. This book is unique because of the fact that the contributors of articles are all women. Earlier ethnographic materials and subsequent documentation have, to a large extent, been created by men.

The book takes stock of the different experiences and gender perspectives as observed by the contributors, documenting the social and cultural practices with regards to the place of women in Naga society, power relations in the household and village settings, respect attributed to them, and the struggles and gender biases they suffer. The book is a reflection of some of the root causes of the gender regressive practices and suggests recommendations to bring about an equitable society, aiming to design pathways towards a genuine partnership between genders for a more progressive Naga Society.