Archival geographies of Naga subaltern (inter)nationalism

Keywords: Archives, Internationalism, Historical Geography, Naga
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

This paper argues that archival practices underpin efforts to realise alternative geopolitical futures amongst Naga (inter)nationalist claimants. I present three case studies from my research amongst Naga collections in Nagaland and the UK. First, I tell the story of the ‘missing’ archival collection of the Naga anticolonial nationalist leader Angami Zapu Phizo. By exploring the tensions surrounding control over Phizo’s papers since his death in 1990, I illustrate how, despite (and sometimes because of) their inaccessibility, Phizo’s archive continues to haunt and divide Naga transnational activist communities, raising broader questions around the relationship between sovereignty, legitimacy, and the production of nationalist histories. Second, I juxtapose the materials held in the Nagaland State Archives with the personal collection of the Naga baptist minister V. K. Nuh. Through a focus on the space, materiality, and form of these collections, I illustrate how practices of archival curation constitute a form of institutional mimicry, through which Naga (inter)nationalists can ‘rehearse’ anticipated state-like futures (McConnell 2016) and legitimate particular international claims. Finally, responding to calls for scholars of postcolonial history to engage alternative sources of archival evidence when faced with sparse collections (Childs Daly 2017; Kewada 2022), I illustrate how the physical landscape, and in particular the construction of stone memorial monoliths, is used by Naga (inter)nationalists to contest the imposition of alternative territorial templates in Naga areas. Together, these three vignettes speak to the important role played by diverse archival practices in subaltern inter(nationalist) projects.