Monoj Kumar Nath, The Muslim question in Assam and Northeast India, New Delhi: Routledge, 2021
Reviewed by Fakhruz Zaman
The book ‘The Muslim Questions in Assam and Northeast India’ by Monoj Kumar Nath provides a comprehensive and historically informed analysis of the political, social, and demographic changes affecting the Muslim community in Assam, especially during the post-independence period. ‘The Muslim Question in Assam and Northeast India’ offers an in-depth exploration of Muslim political identity and the crises of citizenship and cultural identity in the region. The book demonstrates that the Muslim question in Assam arises within a complex and specific political-social environment, closely linked to demographic shifts, illegal migration, political polarisation, and majoritarianism. Nath diligently seeks to understand the Muslim question through the interconnected lenses of history, identity, and citizenship. His work is likely one of the first detailed studies to highlight the politics surrounding the internal divisions between Assamese residents and Muslim migrants from East Bengal in Assam.