Sociologists from Nagaland University have published “Sociology of Infrastructure: Perspectives from Northeast India,” an insightful academic volume edited by Dr. Sandeep Gupta and Dr. Suraj Beri, highlighting the interplay between infrastructure development and social life in Northeast India. The authors contend that infrastructure is inherently linked to the social systems in which it exists and should be viewed not simply as technical improvements but as significant social investments impacting mobility, identity, and community cohesion.
The book draws on extensive empirical research, examining various infrastructures including roads, dams, and digital networks as intertwined social institutions shaped by cultural relationships and political structures. Prof. Jagadish K. Patnaik, Vice-Chancellor of Nagaland University, commends the authors for addressing infrastructure as a social force that influences identity and inequality in the region. The volume emphasizes the critical role infrastructure plays in shaping social relationships and governance dynamics.
Dr. Gupta elaborates that infrastructure should be recognized as both a physical and social artifact essential for identity negotiation and community resilience. Dr. Beri adds that daily interactions with infrastructure expose deeper social realities, reflecting the priorities of governance and inclusion. The authors advocate for a shift in the policy approach away from solely quantitative metrics to encompass the qualitative impacts of infrastructure on democratic governance and social stability.
The book positions infrastructure as a crucial lens to understand broader developmental questions, urging that policy must also recognize the role of infrastructure in empowering communities and shaping their socio-ecological contexts.
