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A Study on Depiction of Migration and Displacement in Assamese Short Stories in Assam
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Social Science, Literature
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV2I2-1718960
Abstract
Migration and displacement have become persistent social realities in Assam, shaping the region's cultural memory, economic life, and literary imagination. Assamese short stories, with their close attention to everyday experience, offer a sensitive space for representing the pain of uprootedness, the struggle for survival, and the search for a stable sense of belonging. This study examines how selected Assamese short stories depict migration and displacement as lived experiences rather than abstract social issues. It focuses on the movement of people within and beyond the state, the disruption of family and community life, the insecurity faced by labourers and refugees, and the emotional burden carried by women, children, and marginalized groups. The stories also reveal how displacement reshapes memory, identity, language, and relationships with land and home. Through a close reading of narrative situations, characterization, imagery, and social context, the study argues that Assamese short fiction does not merely record migration; it interrogates the unequal conditions that produce it and the human cost that follows. The paper further suggests that these stories contribute to a broader understanding of Assam's socio-political history by reflecting concerns of borderland mobility, economic instability, environmental pressure, and cultural uncertainty. In this way, Assamese short stories become an important literary archive of displacement and a compassionate voice for the displaced.
Keywords
Migration, Displacement, Assamese Short Stories, Identity, Belonging, Assam
How to cite this paper
@article{1718960,
author = {Dr. Mulluck Chan Babu},
title = {A Study on Depiction of Migration and Displacement in Assamese Short Stories in Assam},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2018},
volume = {2},
number = {2},
pages = {227-233},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1718960.pdf},
abstract = {Migration and displacement have become persistent social realities in Assam, shaping the region's cultural memory, economic life, and literary imagination. Assamese short stories, with their close attention to everyday experience, offer a sensitive space for representing the pain of uprootedness, the struggle for survival, and the search for a stable sense of belonging. This study examines how selected Assamese short stories depict migration and displacement as lived experiences rather than abstract social issues. It focuses on the movement of people within and beyond the state, the disruption of family and community life, the insecurity faced by labourers and refugees, and the emotional burden carried by women, children, and marginalized groups. The stories also reveal how displacement reshapes memory, identity, language, and relationships with land and home. Through a close reading of narrative situations, characterization, imagery, and social context, the study argues that Assamese short fiction does not merely record migration; it interrogates the unequal conditions that produce it and the human cost that follows. The paper further suggests that these stories contribute to a broader understanding of Assam's socio-political history by reflecting concerns of borderland mobility, economic instability, environmental pressure, and cultural uncertainty. In this way, Assamese short stories become an important literary archive of displacement and a compassionate voice for the displaced.},
keywords = {Migration, Displacement, Assamese Short Stories, Identity, Belonging, Assam},
month = {August},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV2I2-1718960}
}