Ngaihte, Thangkhanlal and Doungel, Jangkhongam creator text Economic & Political Weekly monographic eng

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61(8), Feb 21, 2026: p.53-59 Chieftainship, which has been central to the sociopolitical life of the Zo ethnic tribes in the Indo-Burma borderlands since precolonial times, features in all colonial writings on the Zo tribes, but there has been no major independent study of the institution. Analysing the impact of colonial rule on Zo chieftainship, the paper shows that colonial rule while hollowing out the core attributes of Zo chieftainship, entrenched landownership systems and economic power in favour of the chiefs within this system. This ultimately hastened the dissolution of the institution itself, in parts of the region, while further strengthening the hold of the chiefs on village lands in other places. –Reproduced https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/8/special-articles/colonial-impact-chieftainship.html Economic & Political Weekly 260427