Perceived Discrimination of Old Settlers in Sikkim

Title

Perceived Discrimination of Old Settlers in Sikkim

Creator

Malu B.; Rajan S.K.; Jindal N.; Thakur A.; Raghuram T.

Description

The old settlers in Sikkim are a community of mainland Indians whose ancestors had settled at least 15 years before the merger with India in 1975. At present, the total population of the community is less than three thousand individuals, comprising various ethnicities. This qualitative study focuses on the perceived discrimination of the old settlers, who form a demographic minority in the state. Data was collected using telephonic interviews from a sample of 11 old settlers. Thematic analysis indicated racial differences between the northeasterner indigenous community and mainland Indian old settlers as a major reason for perceived discrimination. The participants expressed the experience of negative emotional reactions, such as anger and disappointment, when they faced discrimination. The participants also felt betrayed by the government of India because they did not receive adequate protection for their rights when their identity in Sikkim changed from foreigners to citizens. Reactions to discrimination included migrating out of the state, experiencing negative emotions such as anger, disappointment and fear, and learned helplessness. 2022 Bhasker Malu, Santhosh Kareepadath Rajan, Nikhita Jindal, Aishwarya Thakur, Tanvi Raghuram.

Source

Changing Societies and Personalities, Vol-6, No. 3, pp. 677-691.

Date

2022-01-01

Publisher

Ural Federal University

Subject

discrimination; Northeasterners; old settlers; perceived discrimination; race; Sikkim

Coverage

Malu B., CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India, O. P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India; Rajan S.K., CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India; Jindal N., CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India; Thakur A., Palo Alto University, CA, United States; Raghuram T., CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India

Rights

All Open Access; Gold Open Access

Relation

ISSN: 25876104

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.15826/CSP.2022.6.3.195

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85143503677&doi=10.15826%2fCSP.2022.6.3.195&partnerID=40&md5=4e2bad2c9dbc42afd1ae1000393b2faa