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@article{190727,
        author = {Sharan Raj S and Ambili CB},
        title = {Imprisoned Resistance: Political Agency and Colonial Penology in Assam through Robin Kakati’s Autobiography},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {8},
        pages = {3022-3031},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=190727},
        abstract = {The article explores the lived experiences of political prisoners in Assam during the late colonial period, foregrounding Robin Kakati’s Sangrami Jibonor Atmakatha (2011) as a seminal text in Assamese prison literature. The research examines the interplay of colonial administrative control, prison hierarchy, and nationalist resistance, highlighting how incarceration functioned both as a site of repression and a space for intellectual, moral, and ethical assertion. Kakati’s autobiographical account, serialized across seven diaries and written during his confinement in Jorhat Jail, documents systemic violations of prison regulations, differential treatment based on caste and class, and the precarious conditions of health, sanitation, and communication. The narrative foregrounds solidarity among prisoners, cultural engagement, and non-violent protest, including hunger strikes, as strategic forms of resistance against colonial authority. By analyzing the structural and symbolic dimensions of incarceration, this study situates Assam’s frontier jails within the broader historiography of anti-colonial struggle, illustrating how imprisonment facilitated political consciousness and ethical agency. Furthermore, it demonstrates the value of prison autobiographies as historical testimony, revealing how personal narratives of confinement contribute to collective memory, cultural resilience, and the documentation of marginalized experiences during India’s freedom movement.},
        keywords = {Colonial penology, Assam jails, political prisoners, Robin Kakati.},
        month = {January},
        }