Majuli at the Crossroads: A Study of Cultural Geomorphology

Abstract

Although well established elsewhere, cultural geomorphology has not yet been well-grounded in Northeast India where a perceived dearth of studies in this sub-branch of geography exists. The Brahmaputra valley, which has a long physical and cultural history, is a unique laboratory, which offers opportunities to study anthropo-geomorphologic, achaeo-geomorphologic and cultural landscapes. The Majuli river island, ostensibly the largest island in the world, houses traditional art crafts and dances, despite being continually under the siege of a plethora of physical obstacles such as flooding, bank erosion, etc..  The present study aims at studying how the physical processes that constantly reshape the map of the island exert their influence on the socio-economic and cultural milieu of the region. The paper further analyses why despite all odds Majuli thrives and continues to preserve and maintain its rich natural and cultural heritage, in ways that are perhaps unparalleled in the region or even elsewhere in the globe.

Keywords

cultural geomorphology, cultural landscapes, satra, Majuli river island, Assam, India

Author Biography

Dhrubajyoti Sahariah

Department of Geography

Diganta Kr Bora

Department of Geography

Sumit Kundu

Department of Geography

Tapashi Das

Department of Geography

Suchibrata Sen

Department of Geography

Karabi Das

Department of Geography

Biju Mili

Department of Geography

Juri Baruah

Department of Geography

Khagen Sarma

Department of Geography

Mukheswar Saikia

Department of Geography

Anup Saikia

Department of Geography

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