IICRR PhD student Bitopi Dutta has co-edited a volume Legal Pluralism and Indian Democracy: Tribal Conflict Resolution Systems in Northeast India together with Melvil Pereira and Binita Kakati. Published by Routledge “Transistion in Northeastern India” Series, this book offers a multifaceted look at Northeast India and the customs and traditions that underpin its legal framework.

The book charts the transition of traditions from colonial rule to present day, through constitutionalism and the consolidation of autonomous identities, as well as outlines contemporary debates in an increasingly modernising region. It explores the theoretical context of legal pluralism and its implications, compares the personal legal systems with that of the mainland, and discusses customary law’s continuing popularity (both pragmatic and ideological) and common law. It also brings together case studies from across the eight states and focuses on the way individual systems and procedures manifest among various tribes and communities in the voices of tribal and non-tribal scholars. Importantly it highlights the resilience and relevance of alternative systems of redressal, including conflict resolution and women’s rights.

Bitop Dutta’s PhD research is funded by the Irish Research Council.