Aspiring for the good life : educational migration, kinship, and future becomings of the Indigenous youth of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

This thesis explores what it means to aspire for young Indigenous Arunachalees in relation to higher education, migration, and traditional kinship norms. Young Arunachalees belong to diverse tribal communities that are Indigenous to the Northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. While some migrate to India’s metropolis for better education and to simultaneously achieve cosmopolitan lifestyles, socioeconomic deprivation and familial obligations require others to stay. Based on four months of in-depth qualitative online interviews with eighteen Arunachalee youth — ten who migrated and eight who did not— this thesis shows how socioeconomic disparities along with traditional kinship systems shape the aspirational trajectories and migration decisions of young Indigenous Arunachalees. In doing so, I demonstrate how young people draw on their kinship networks to access social, economic, and material resources needed to migrate or to envision local futures related to staying. While reciprocal exchanges within local kinship systems facilitate the migration of some young Arunachalees, it also expects them to return and carry out their traditional duties. Meanwhile, young Arunachalees who stay perform routine acts of care and service towards their kin networks to sustain current livelihood prospects and mitigate future uncertainties. I argue that young Arunachalees’ engagement with kin networks to leverage support for their desired futures is often classed and gendered. This thesis will provide insight into the experiences of young Indigenous Arunachalees as they navigate their futures while balancing personal aspirations and traditional obligations towards their family, kin networks, and land.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Malini Sur (Supervisor)