"Food, Identity, and Citizenship: A Case of North-East Ethnic Food Spaces in Indian Cities"

Since British colonial times, tribal communities of Northeast India have been stereotyped as ‘primitive,’ ‘uncivilised,’ ‘exotic,’ and ‘backward,’ positioned as being outside of what was considered "modern" or "civilised. James Scott describes them as communities evading ‘state-making’ and ‘civilisation.’ In recent decades, migration from the Northeast region to Indian cities has surged, with many Northeastern migrants being drawn into ‘civilisation’ through liberalisation and globalisation, and primarily working in service sectors like retail, call centres, and hospitality.

With migration of people there is also migration of culture and most importantly food. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai, this study highlights the growing visibility of Northeast ethnic food stores and restaurants in the urban landscape. Despite facing challenges such as food policing by landlords and law enforcement, along with conflicts arising from perceptions of North-East ethnic food as ‘unpleasant’ or ‘stinky,’ these establishments serve as vital spaces for the community to access traditional home food, maintain cultural traditions, and foster social bonds in the city. The paper further argues that when these individuals are labelled as ‘foreigners’ or derogatorily referred to as ‘chinky’—suggesting they are of Chinese origin—the establishment of distinct North-East food stores and restaurants becomes a way of claiming their citizenship and asserting their Indianness. These spaces not only counteract the stereotypes and prejudices they face but also act as cultural landmarks, reinforcing their place within the fabric of the city while allowing them to maintain a connection to their heritage.