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Territory and Ethnicity

RC18 Political Sociology (host committee)

Language: English

Territory is an essential space for human survival. It is a space for socio-cultural and political needs. To gain this space certain groups occupied certain territories and settled permanently or temporarily and developed the concept of indigenous and later swamped by notion of late settler or illegal settlers. Territory and ethnicity in relation to indigenous have been existed throughout human history and has become hot topic in contemporary political discourses. A territory with sensitive borders and diverse landscape has often been shrouded in ethnic violence conflict. In the hindsight, the growth of modern nation-state legitimised the idea of ethnicity and territory vis-à-vis indigenous. Is territory a political, economic or cultural space? Is ethnicity a social or political group? Are territory and ethnicity social or political entity? Why territory has become violent entity? Is the growth of modern state responsible? In the light of these prevailing issues, exchange of ideas will bridge the knowledge gap in contemporary discourse on territory and ethnicity.