The Naga Scholars’ Association (NSA), in collaboration with the Research and Development Cell of Zunheboto Government College, organised a one-day seminar on “Materiality, Infrastructure and Local Culture: The Cross-Disciplinary Interaction” on October 26, bringing together scholars to examine the historical, cultural, social and political dimensions of Zunheboto and Sumi society.
The seminar aimed to create a platform for interdisciplinary scholarship within the Sumi community, exploring how local cultures interact with global forces through materiality and infrastructure. Discussions covered textiles, art, gender, language, literature, public infrastructure, the church and other aspects of social and cultural life.
Nine scholars, including faculty members, PhD scholars and postgraduate students from various institutions, presented research papers on issues such as mass marriage, gender justice, patriarchy, Sutsah, materiality, indigeneity, culture, and human and non-human histories. The participants represented institutions including Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; St. John College, Dimapur; Serampore University; Aizawl Theological College; St. Joseph University; and Nito Theological College.
Dr. Avitoli G. Zhimo, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Delhi, delivered the keynote address, drawing on her experiences to examine how materiality and infrastructure shape society across historical and contemporary contexts.
The seminar was chaired by Viboli Kiba, a postgraduate student at Nagaland University. The three panels were moderated by Newtoli Yeptho and Kileto I. Chishi, faculty members of Zunheboto Government College, and Vilibo K. Yeptho, Dean and faculty member of Nito Theological College.
Conceived specifically for scholars from Zunheboto, the seminar sought to foreground the town as a site of knowledge production by and about the Sumi community, encouraging critical engagement with questions of identity, locality, modernity, development, culture and globalisation.