Argue India in association with our institutional partner, Women's College Shillong and with the support from Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Kolkata and Indian Council of Social Science Research N.Delhi organized an International Seminar themed "ARMED CONFLICT, DEVELOPMENT & GOVERNANCE" on December 1st and 2nd, 2006 at the Women's College auditorium. Research findings from different conflict areas around the world were presented during the two days seminar.
     The Seminar, delved into the complex interrelationship between ethnonational movements and the emerging social, cultural and financial spaces in conflict areas in different parts of the world. Ethnonational movements that assume the form of collective identity consciousness within a liberal democratic framework gives rise to internal and external others, who are portrayed as the contenders for the already shrunken share of resources. This factor of constructing an Other has historically sustained ethnonationalism in many parts of the world as also in Northeast India, while at the same time it bypassed questions of democratic adjudication of rights and entitlements of various groups' identities. Long standing ethnic struggles in Eastern India like Naga national movement or Assamese nationalism had deepened this paradox of State versus Ethnic rights without being able to achieve the professed goals of freedom and independence.
     The Seminar delved into the possibilities of opening up economic and social closures that are prevalent in the region, especially the issue of opening up the trade with neighbouring nations, which the participants felt would broaden the economic pie for more equitable distribution. Since the participants felt that one of the issues for the durable conflicts in the region is a lack of equitable sharing of the economic and political spaces a more balanced sharing procedure would assist the conflict transformation initiatives and processes. The participants also felt that simultaneous initiatives for inter-community dialogues on a more intense note is the need of the moment and argue India as research group could facilitate such initiatives for dialogues.
     The panels during the seminar were organised along the following sub-themes:
§   Armed conflict: paradigms and Issues
§   Economics of Armed Conflict
§   Armed Conflict & Identity Claims
§   Armed Conflict & Women
§   Armed Conflict & Democratic Transition
Abstracts