Modernisation of The Mizo Society

Modernisation/Development is a process of societal transformation from a traditional society to a modern society, emphasising the elimination of poverty, unemployment, social and economic inequality. Modernisation on capitalist lines, which the country has pursued, has led to the growth of unknown phenomena in Mizo society like stratification—the rich and the poor—, alienation by well-off natives, absentee landlordism, intermediary rights, money lending, encroachment of community land, exploitative groups based on antagonistic relationships of production and property, land mortgage and perpetuation of the existing disparities of wealth. The emerging well off natives/middle class in the state are neither opposed to the landed gentry nor to the Indian capitalist class. The book, which includes nineteen scholarly and research papers, deals objectively with a theoretical concept of modernisation and various issues, challenges, problems and constraints concerning the modernisation/development of the Mizo society and suggests to resolve the degrading socio-economic situations, affecting the poor tribesmen adversely, who are the victims of poverty and unemployment owing to unequal production and property relations. It provides policy insights for the future and will be highly useful and valuable.

R.N. Prasad (b.1941) is Professor, Head of the Department of Public administration, Mizoram University (Central), Aizawl, and Dean, School of Social Sciences. He has participated in several local, regional, national and interantional seminars/workshops/conferences and contributed many scholarly and research papers. He has more than 75 research papers and book reviews published in academic/professional journals of national and interantioanl reoute and edited volumes to his credit. He has also authored, co-authored and edited a number of books. He is a Hony. Secretary of the Indian Institute of Public Administration. Mizoram Regional Branch, and the editor of its annual journal, Administrative Review. A.K. Agarwal (b.1949) is Professor in the Department of Economics, Mizoram University, Sizawl. He is one of the editors of Political Economy Journal of India and Administrative Review. He has published about eighty artcles in various national journals and also authored, co-authored and edited eight books. He was a member of Mizoram Taxation and Resource Mobilisation Committee.