ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an example of the flexibility that the post-colonial state has come to acquire over the past six-plus decades in its quest for forging a strategy for social governance. It deals with women in Nagaland and analyses their negotiation with a state that traditionally privileges values that may be patriarchal. Nagaland was created on the basis of this agreement which never incorporated the views of the Naga people or resistance groups. The Indian state chose to cope with the crisis of sovereignty and autonomy movements through militarization of Manipur and Nagaland. A paternalistic top-down securitization approach through militarization and enforcement of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland and Manipur has been the reason behind a lot of bloodshed and atrocities. A review of some of the social and political institutions in Nagaland will reveal the nature of gender mainstreaming in development initiatives.
