Bridging Tradition and Modernity through Anthropology
Akumtong Imchen hails from the Ao indigenous tribal community, predominantly found in the Mokokchung district of Nagaland. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Kohima Science College, majoring in Anthropology with Botany as his secondary subject during his undergraduate studies. For his master’s, he specialised in Cultural and Social Anthropology.
In 2022, Akumtong joined The Highland Institute as an intern during his master’s program. By the end of the year, he advanced to the role of Research Assistant at the institute. He became involved in the “Urbaltour Project,” an international research initiative involving five South Asian and Southeast Asian countries: India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Each country has a dedicated team studying the urban setup of hill stations to understand the development and impact of tourism within these areas.
The project is a collaboration with the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), with two staff members from The Highland Institute working as research assistants. The case study for this project focuses on Kohima, examining how tourism impacts the local community and its economic status, contributing to the state’s overall development.