The Contextual Linkages between Recorded Mizo History and Literature: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

There was a time when history and literature were regarded as a single field of study in the Mizo society. Mizo history showcased past events based on the actual occurrence of events while Mizo literature highlighted the culture, societal set up and lifestyles of the Mizo people. Mizo literature may not be regarded as a fully reliable source for undertaking a comprehensive, detailed analysis of Mizo history but is still able to offer an extensive insight due to the inclusion of the prevailing societal set up and lifestyle; the incorporation of characters created in accordance with those that may have existed in that particular mode of history; the emphasis on the political system and the turmoil that may have plagued the Mizo society at a particular phase in history. Mizo literature is richly laded with the political, economic and social realities that existed at different phases of Mizo history. This paper aims to partake on a critical analysis of the commonalities or the differences that may be located between the recorded history and the literature created or made available during that same historical period through selected Mizo literature that have time and again been regarded as reflective of Mizo history.