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Paper short abstract

The Chakmas, an indigenous refugee group from Bangladesh (CHT), are living in India for over 50 years without citizenship. This paper examines their struggle for citizenship and belonging, navigating local and ethnic tensions to position themselves as “becoming citizens” through everyday practices.

Paper long abstract

The struggle for citizenship and belonging intensifies for refugees when the local community consists of indigenous groups. The Chakmas, an indigenous refugee group from Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracks) have settled in the North-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh in India for more than 50 years without citizenship or recognition by the state. Although the supreme court of India has passed multiple judgements to grant citizenship for Chakmas, most recently in 2015, but implementation has been stalled due to local ethnic and legal issues that complicate their status in the region. Despite this prolonged struggle, the Chakmas engage in political and ethnic maneuvers to forge closer ties with local ethnic communities to create a sense of belonging in the region. This ethnographic paper explores how the Chakmas navigate citizenship (Das 2004) and local indigenous territorial claims (Li, 2010) to position themselves as “Becoming Citizens” through everyday practices. Against the backdrop of persistent ethnic and legal tensions, the paper argues that Chakmas exist in a state of perpetual liminality, where they constantly negotiate their identities and positioning their sense of belonging within a complex sociopolitical landscape to become citizens.