Published Paper Details:

This paper explores the complex interplay between traditional clan structures and modern electoral democracy in Nagaland, a tribal state in Northeast India. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and secondary literature, the study examines how clan-based loyalties continue to shape political participation, voter behavior, and candidate selection in Naga society. Far from being passive cultural remnants, clans function as powerful political actors that influence both the structure and outcomes of elections. Through interviews and field observations, this paper highlights how the pressure to conform to clan decisions often overrides individual political choice, raising critical questions about the health of democratic ideals in a kinship-dominated context. The study also considers how candidates strategically manipulate inter-clan rivalries and alliances to secure votes, sometimes undermining the democratic process. By situating these practices within broader theoretical debates on democracy, tradition, and identity, the paper argues for an in-depth understanding of how indigenous institutions adapt to and reshape electoral politics. Ultimately, this research contributes to the growing discourse on the challenges of practicing liberal democracy in culturally embedded societies, where collective identity and traditional authority continue to play a central role in political life.