ABOUT THE COURSE:The course familiarizes students with the concepts and approaches to the study of tribal communities in India from an interdisciplinary perspective. It offers foundational understanding of the existing theories and important readings of this field of study. It provides case studies from different geographic regions of the country and uses multiple methods extending from artwork, visuals, scholarly essays, and critical social science theories. At the end of the course, students will be equipped with an understanding of tribal communities, issues faced by the communities, and new insights on contemporary tribal realities viz-a-viz modernity and globalization.INTENDED AUDIENCE: Students, scholars, service and non-service backgrounds

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction: Historicizing the Concept of Tribe; Understanding the Concept of Tribe- Indigenous People, Adivasi, Janjati;Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), De-notified Tribes/Criminal Tribes
Week 2:Understanding Tribes in India— Social Organization of Tribes; Tribal Economy; Political Institutions in Tribal Societies; Women in Tribal Society; Cultural Assimilation and Integration
Week 3:Sociological and Anthropological Perspectives of Tribes in India, Tribe-Caste Continuum, Tribe as Peasant, Tribe as Ethnic Group; Problems of Categories and Classifications; Methods and Approaches to the Study of Tribes
Week 4:Tribes during the Colonial Rule I: Integration and Annexation of Tribal Regions; Anti-colonial Movements and Resistance against Colonial Expansion; Case Studies on Chottanagpur and Lushai Hills; Tribes and the Indian National Movement
Week 5:Tribes during the Colonial Rule II: Administration of TribalAreas—Laws and Legislations; Resource Rights—Land, Water,and Forests; Dispossession and Conflict; Exploitation andIndentureship; Plantation Economy
Week 6:Tribes in Post-colonial India I: Constitution Making and the Role of Tribes; Constitutional Provisions for Tribes in India; Protective Discrimination and Welfare of Tribes
Week 7:Tribes in Post-colonial India II: Tribal Administration and Autonomy Provisions; Tribal Politics and Political Parties; Case Studies from Jharkhand and Northeast India (Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Manipur)
Week 8:Development and Tribes: Internal Migration and Socio-cultural Changes; Tribal Middle Class; Social Exclusion; Socio-economic Status of Tribes in the Post-reform Era
Week 9:Tribal Narratives: Oral Histories, Folklore and Myths, Songs, Performances, Rituals, Festivals, and Contemporary Tribal Literature
Week 10:Social Movements: Tribal Activism and Tribal Rights; Environmental Movements, Case Studies
Week 11:Globalization and Tribes- Popular and Digital Culture, Cultural Entrepreneurs and Influencers; Tribes and Social Media
Week 12:Tribal Studies and Humanities and Social Sciences; The Future of Tribal Studies in India- Current Trends and Scopes