“It is wrong and does not help the tribal cause either to reduce the image of the Indian tribal society to that of destitute remnants, on the verge of dying out.” – Georg Pfeffer in Voices from the Periphery: Subalternity and Empowerment in India (Routledge India 2012)
A rare collection of essays and different from most anthropological writing: its authors highlight the insider perspective of Adivasi and several other communities.
Voices from the Periphery: Subalternity and Empowerment in India
Edited by Marine Carrin, Lidia Guzy
Published 1st March 2012 by Routledge IndiaIn India as elsewhere, peripheries have frequently been viewed through the eyes of the centre. This book aims at reversing the gaze, presenting the perspectives of low castes, tribes, or other subalterns in a way that amplifies their ability to voice their own concerns.
This volume takes a multidimensional perspective, citing political, economic and cultural factors as expressions of the autonomous assertions of these groups. Questioning the exclusive definitions of the Brahmanical, folk and tribal elements, the articles bring together the empowering possibilities enabled by three recent theoretical developments: of anthropologies questioning the fringes of mainstream society in India; critically engaged histories from below, which problematize subaltern identities; and a conceptual emphasis on everyday ethnography as an arena for negotiations and transactions which contest wider networks of power and hegemony.
This book will be useful to those in sociology, anthropology, politics, history, study of religions, minority studies, cultural studies and those interested in social development, and issues of marginality, tribes and subaltern identity.
Introduction 1. Nisad of the Ganga: Playing with the notions of margin and centre Djallal Heuzé 2. From History to Heritage: Adivasi Identity and Hul Sengel Dan Rycroft 3. On entering the remote area: Recent German anthropological research in western Orissa Georg Pfeffer 4. The history of the royal family of Bonai: Texts, centres and authorities Uwe Skoda 5. Village festival and kingdom frame: Centre and periphery from a Porajâ village point of view, southern Orissa Raphaël Rousseleau 6. The poly-culture of Mahima Dharma: On ascetics and Shamans in a new religious movement of Orissa Lidia Guzy 7. Gonasika, a tribal sacred place and a Hindu centre of pilgrimage Cécile Guillaume 8. The Billavas of Karnataka and the Santals of Orissa: Two peripheries asserting their position towards the center Marine Carrin 9. Towards a comparison of traditional centre–periphery relations in two regions on the west coast of India: Saurashtra and south Kanara Harald Tambs-Lyche 10. Brahmans of the Pariyas, peripheries in quest of identity Alexis Avdeeff 11. Did the subaltern speak? Radhika Borde. About the Editors. Notes on Contributors. Index.
Marine Carrin is Director of Research, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), LISST-Centre d’Anthropologie, Toulouse, France.
Lidia Guzy is Associate Researcher, Institute for Scientific Studies of Religions, Free University of Berlin.
Source: Voices from the Periphery: Subalternity and Empowerment in India (Hardback) – Routledge
Address : https://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415501774/
Date Visited: 30 October 2021
Jawaharlal Nehru on five principles for the policy to be pursued vis-a-vis the tribals >>
Photo © Indian Express
The current predicament of Adivasis
The current predicament of a vast majority of Adivasis is one of sharp erosion in their livelihoods and their life-worlds. Despite assurances of autonomy (the Fifth and Sixth Schedules, the Panchsheel, PESA 1996, Forests Rights Act 2006) and attempts of focused addressal of Adivasi and Tribal issues (including the establishment of an umbrella outfit, the National Council for Tribal Welfare), there are counter structures and programmes that defy the enabling of genuinely decentralised autonomy and the guarantee of democratic participation. For instance, the recently approved ‘Integrated Action Plan’ in Tribal areas overrides the representation of Adivasis in local issues in decision-making processes and arrogates powers of governance to bureaucrats and specialists.
In addition to such contradictory and conflicting measures, the forces of fast-expanding capital, along with the top-down deployment of development models have resulted in large scale displacement in Adivasi regions. Global capital’s access to mineral wealth has also intensified violence of various forms and degrees.
Source: Ch. 2, “Context and Conditions of Adivasi Life Worlds” (p. 5) in THE EDUCATION QUESTION’ FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ADIVASIS: CONDITIONS, POLICIES AND STRUCTURES by National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bangalore), March 2012 & UNICEF | Backup (PDF, 4 MB)
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