This volume offers an insightful and compelling exploration of the complex dynamics that define governance, identity and power in India’s Northeast. It challenges conventional post-colonial narratives by asserting that the departure of colonial rulers did not precipitate a clean break but instead initiated intricate continuities that continue to shape the region’s societal structures. It puts forward the concept of ‘postcolonial hinterlands’, a nuanced framework for understanding spaces and identities that lie outside dominant national constructs in post-colonial settings. It highlights how the interactions in this framework between marginalized identities and the entrenched nation-state model create a unique emplaced space that forms the basis for the volume’s broader inquiries. The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics, post-colonial polities, postcolonialism, and South Asian studies.