International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

An Economy of Visibility: Clan and Gender Hierarchies in the Chakhesang Feast of Merit

This paper examines the practice of the feast of merit among the Chakhesang Naga as a socio-cultural institution that structures recognition, status, and participation. Existing scholarship has largely interpreted the practice through the lens of material display, economic capacity, and prestige, with limited attention to the roles of gender and clan in shaping access to symbolic value. Addressing this gap, the study argues that the practice operates through a structured economy of visibility, where recognition is mediated by differently structured participation. Drawing on qualitative ethnographic fieldwork in Phek district, Nagaland, the study demonstrates that the feast is collectively performed, roles and forms of participation are unequally organised. Men occupy central and publicly visible ritual positions, whereas women’s contributions, though indispensable, receive less public recognition and are mediated through male-centred forms of achievement. Simultaneously, clan-based distinctions shape differential pathways to status, producing a layered and relational system of hierarchy. By foregrounding the interplay between visibility, gender, and clan, the study challenges dominant interpretations of the feast of merit as primarily an expression of generosity or economic display. Instead, it argues that the institution operates as a mechanism through which social distinctions are actively produced and sustained. In doing so, the paper calls for a critical re-evaluation of the assumption of egalitarianism in Naga societies, as well as for a more inclusive representation of society that highlights the structured inequalities embedded in ritual life. Keywords: feast of merit, Chakhesang Naga, gender, clan, hierarchy.