Antarvidya || Debra Thana Sahid Kshudiram Smriti Mahavidyalaya

Angami Zapu Phizo and the Making of Modern Naga Nationalism: A Historical Analysis

Krishanu Ghosh
Assistant Professor
Department of History
Bhairab Ganguly College
Kolkata-700056
&
Ph. D Research Scholar
Department of History
Rabindra Bharati University
Kolkata- 700050
krishanurbu@gmail.com

Submitted on: 12.05.2026
Accepted on: 28.06.2026

Abstract: The movement of Nagaland has been one of the most long-lasting, complex, and emotionally charged ethno-nationalist movements of South Asia. At least in part, such an ethno-nationalist movement has been perpetuated by AngamiZapuPhizo, who has played the role of the Naga identity, resistance and aspirations by his charismatic and uncompromising leadership of the movement through forty years. Phizo’s influence touched all the major stages of the movement and left a lasting impact on both the movement’s successes and failures. This paper examines the development of Phizo’s leadership through critical events in the history of the Naga struggle. The paper first examines the Naga National Council’s (NNC) early years and the debates regarding the Naga people’s right to autonomy or self-determination. The paper then focuses upon Phizo’s role in leading the plebiscite held in 1951—a significant event for Phizo, as he believed the plebiscite would demonstrate the Nagas’ desire for independence from India and lead to India recognizing their sovereignty. Following the plebiscite, the paper examines the transition from peaceful negotiations with the Indian government to an armed conflict and Phizo’s complex relationship with the Indian government. The paper will also examine Phizo’s decision to move to London and lead the Naga movement from there. While the decision to remain in exile in London, while continuing to lead the Naga movement, did create some disunity among the Naga people and further fragmented the Naga National Council in the 1960s and 1970s, Phizo’s leadership continued to inspire many Naga people and provide the movement with a clear ideological focus. However, Phizo’s commitment to achieving full sovereignty for Nagaland also led to divisions and fragmentation within the movement. By placing the Naga struggle within the context of post-colonial state building and the decolonization process, the paper seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of the leadership of Phizo and how he shaped the course of Naga nationalism from 1947 till 1990.

References:

[1] Ministry of External Affairs, 1961. File No. CG/22/61. National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[2] Asoso Yonuo, The Rising Nagas, Manas Publications, Delhi, 1986, pp. 125–26.

[3] Memorandum on the Naga Hills to the Indian Statutory Commission, accessed from https://share.google/7d07F9NuWYeCrmKFt, on 5 October 2025.

[4] P. N. Luthra, Nagaland: From a District to a State, Director of Information and Public Relations, Arunachal Pradesh, 1974, p. 8.

[5] Ministry of External Affairs, 1961, File No. CG/22/61, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[6] Ministry of External Affairs, 1960, File No. 16/55-XPR/60, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[7] Amalendu Kishore Chakraborty, The Quest for Identity: The Tribal Solidarity Movement in North-East India, 1947–69, The Asiatic Society, Kolkata, 2014, p. 267.

[8] Ministry of External Affairs, 1970, File No. NiI.102(42)/1970, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[9] A. Lanunungsang Ao, From Phizo to Muivah: The Naga National Question in North-East India, New Delhi, Mittal Publications, 2002, pp. 16–17.

[10] Nirmal Nibedon, Nagaland: The Night of the Guerrillas, Lancer Publishers & Distributors, New Delhi, 2000, pp. 25–26.

[11] A. Z. Phizo, The Fate of the Naga People: An Appeal to the World, London, 1960, p. 3.

[12] Ibid.

[13] The Times of India, 22 July 1947; also see Statesman, 20 July 1947.

[14] Ibid.

[15] The Times of India, 22 June 1947.

[16] A. Z. Phizo, The Fate of the Naga People: An Appeal to the World, London, 1960, p. 3.

[17] The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. LXXXVIII, Ahmedabad, 1983, pp. 373–74.

[18] ‘A. Z. Phizo’s Speech at the opening function of the Plebiscite, 16 May 1951, Kohima, Nagaland’, cited from Wetshokhrolo Lasui (ed.), The Naga Chronicle, Regency Publication, Astral International (P) Ltd, New Delhi, 2016 (2nd Revised edition), pp. 122–139.

[19] Suranjan Das, ‘Ethnicity and Nation-Building in India: The Naga Experience’, in Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 64, 2003, p. 697.

[20] Ministry of External Affairs, 1960, File No. 16/55-XPR/60, National Archive of India, New Delhi.

[21] Ministry of External Affairs, 1953, File No. N/53/1531/105, ‘Naga Agitation for Independence Note prepared by X.P. Division for the guidance of our Information Officers in Mission Abroad’, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[22] Ministry of External Affairs, 1961, File No. CG/133/61, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[23] Ministry of External Affairs, 1960, File No. 16/55-XPR/60, National Archive of India, New Delhi.

[24] Ministry of External Affairs, 1961, File No. CG/133/61, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[25] Ministry of External Affairs, 1953, File No. N/53/1531/105, ‘Naga Agitation for Independence Note prepared by X.P. Division for the guidance of our Information Officers in Mission Abroad’, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Ibid.

[28] A. Z. Phizo, The Fate of the Naga People: An Appeal to the World, London, 1960, p. 3.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Asoso Yonuo, The Rising Nagas: A Historical and Political Study, Delhi, 1984, p. 178.

[31] Udayon Misra, India’s North-East: Identity Movements, State, and Civil Society, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2014, p. 143.

[32] Ministry of States Branch, 1954 (Secret), File No. 10(9)-PA, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[33] Udayon Misra, India’s North-East: Identity Movements, State, and Civil Society, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2014, p. 143.

[34] Udayon Misra, ‘The Naga National Question’, in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 13, No. 14, 8 April 1978, p. 620.

[35] The Times of India, 21 March 1951.

[36] The Times of India, 7 December 1949.

[37] Ministry of External Affairs, 1953, File No. N/53/1531/105, ‘Naga Agitation for Independence Note prepared by X.P. Division for the guidance of our Information Officers in Mission Abroad’, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[38] The New York Times, 26 January 1950.

[39] Murkot Ramunny, The World of Nagas, New Delhi, 1988, p. 49.

[40] B. N. Mullik, My Years with Nehru: 1968-1964, Bombay, 1972, p. 302.

[41] Murkot Ramunny, The World of Nagas, New Delhi, 1988, pp. 50–51.

[42] Ministry of External Affairs, 1953, File No. N/53/1531/105, ‘Naga Agitation for Independence Note prepared by X.P. Division for the guidance of our Information Officers in Mission Abroad’, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[43] A. Z. Phizo, The Fate of the Naga People: An Appeal to the World, London, 1960, p. 6.

[44] ‘A. Z. Phizo’s Speech at the opening function of the Plebiscite, 16 May 1951, Kohima, Nagaland’, cited from Wetshokhrolo Lasui (ed.), The Naga Chronicle, Regency Publication, Astral International (P) Ltd, New Delhi, 2016 (2nd Revised edition), pp. 122–139.

[45] The Times of India, 1 Dec. 1951, p. 5.

[46] The Times of India, 4 Feb. 1953, p. 1.

[47] The Times of India, 28 Feb. 1953, p. 1.

[48] Ministry of External Affairs, 1970, File No. NiI.102(42)/1970, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[49] Ibid.

[50] The Naga Problem, External Publicity Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, 1962, p. 4.

[51] Ministry of External Affairs, 1961, File No. CG/133/61, External Affairs, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[52] A. Z. Phizo, Letter to the President of India Requesting the Restoration of Peace in Nagaland. 1958. File No. 37/58, President’s Secretariat, General, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[53] Ministry of External Affairs, 1970, File No. NiI.102(42)/1970, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[54] The Times of India, 11 Feb. 1955, p. 1.

[55] The Times of India, 3 Feb. 1956, p. 8.

[56] Ibid.

[57] Ministry of External Affairs, 1970, File No. NiI.102(42)/1970, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

[58] The Times of India, 18 June 1960, p. 1.

[59] Pieter Steyn, Zapuphizo: Voice of the Nagas, Oxon, Routledge, 2002, pp. 100–103.

[60] D. R. Mankekar, On the Slippery Slope in Nagaland, Bombay, Manaktalas, 1967, p. 63.

[61] The Times of India, 2 December 1957, p. 1.

[62] The Times of India, 12 November 1959, p. 7.

[63] The Times of India, 19 February 1961, p. 9.

[64] The Times of India, 1 December 1963, p. 1.

[65] The Statesman, 2 December 1963.

[66] The Times of India, 1 December 1963, p. 1.

[67] Zapu Phizo, interview by Ashikho Daili, London, June–August 1985, accessed from https://share.google/gk2rpEHgo7FlGf0vj on 5 May 2021.

[68] Pieter Steyn, Zapuphizo: Voice of the Nagas, Routledge, Oxon, 2002, p. 145.

[69] Ibid.

[70] Udayon Misra, ‘Portrait of a Naga ‘Hostile’’, in Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 12, no. 20, 1977, pp. 789–90.

[71] Pieter Steyn, op. cit., p. 145.

[72] Udayon Misra, ‘Portrait of a Naga ‘Hostile’’, in Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 12, no. 20, 1977, p. 790.

Key Words: Angami Zapu Phizo, Naga National Movement, Naga National Council (NNC), Naga plebiscite 1951

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APA 7th Edition

Ghosh, K. (2026). Angami Zapu Phizo and the Making of Modern Naga Nationalism: A Historical Analysis. Antarvidya, 2(1), 56–67. https://doi.org/10.66182/antarvidya.v2.i1.007.2026

MLA 9th Edition

Ghosh, Krishanu. “Angami Zapu Phizo and the Making of Modern Naga Nationalism: A Historical Analysis.” Antarvidya, vol. 2, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 56–67. https://doi.org/10.66182/antarvidya.v2.i1.007.2026.

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June 2026
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Angami Zapu Phizo and the Making of Modern Naga Nationalism: A Historical Analysis © 2026 by Krishanu Ghosh is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Angami Zapu Phizo and the Making of Modern Naga Nationalism: A Historical Analysis

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