Mundu

Bineet Jaynel

India

E-mail
bjm023@student.uit.no

Phone/Mobile
94496053

Educational Background:
Coming from a small place Ranchi in Jharkhand, India, I have had the opportunity to study in the schools and colleges in capital city New Delhi; I started with commerce after my matriculation but completed my Bachelors Degree with Political Science in 1990. (Worked for last ten years with three different NGO's involved in the field of human rights campaign and advocacy including the rights of the indigenous peoples issues) Before coming to the University of Tromsø I also could complete my Masters Degree with Political Science from Ranchi University.

Master"s of Indigenous Studies Thesis Title:
Indigenous Customary Laws and Governance, the traditional system of governance of indigenous peoples in the face of state governance system: The case of Jharkhand, India.

Thesis Topic/Question:
In my thesis topic the research question is; That if the indigenous people here who have their own customary system of governance practiced for ages, why should the state (the colonial as well as independent state) though recognising it on one hand, on the other implements is own system to replacing it by bringing in the larger interests of the state? Is the past forsaken, how and for what?

 - Is it because the indigenous people have lost the competence to govern themselves or have been deprived to for the leadership to be taken into their hands?

- What has prevented them or disenabled them from taking their own responsibility? And made them dependent on the governance mechanism of the state, why?

Motivations for applying to the MIS program:
I have a rich background of working experience in the field of human rights of indigenous peoples both at the grassroots and at the national level, also have been involved at the United Nations level on the Draft Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Populations for the past five years, if not more. With this background I was looking for an academic orientation in the field of indigenous peoples involving their rights. With the help of Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program had an opportunity to choose the university and the program of study in any of the five continents. I chose Europe and opted to take this Masters Program on Indigenous Studies, which was only possible to have it in the University of Tromsø. I hope to make the most out of this program with all our teachers and all the international colleagues.