Anthropology

“[I]ndigenous people in India also feel the claustrophobic confines of their identity which has been imposed on them by others, be it the colonial administrator, the colonial anthropologist.” – Santali poet, scholar and translator Ivy Imogene Hansdak in “Is tribal identity relevant in today’s world?”, Inaugural Speech, National Conference “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (2017)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23032

Revival of interest in aboriginal history: The “Khoe”, descendants of herders who introduced pottery 2000 years ago – Southern Africa

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Read the full article by Prof. Andrew B. Smith >> The name ‘Hottentot’, or its Afrikaans shortening ‘Hotnot’, became a disparaging term for people of colour at the Cape. Today we refer to the aboriginal herders of the Cape by the name they would have called themselves: Khoekhoen =’people people’ or ‘real people’ (non-gender specific plural). … Read more

Exploring human evolution in the Narmada Valley: Rich in fossils and archaeological sites, facing submergence – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Gujarat

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VADODARA: Much is known about how the Harappan Civilization flourished on the banks of the Indus almost 5,000 years back. But now is the time to move ‘ahead’ of the Indus Valley Civilization. Through the largest exploration exercise ever undertaken, M S University’s Department of Archaeology and Ancient History along with United States’ Stone Age … Read more

Video | People of the hills celebrate their annual Wangala festival in Asanang: “We Garos are tuned into world music and culture” – Meghalaya

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PHEROZE L. VINCENT, The Hindu, November 24, 2012 | To read the full article and view more photos, click here >> The Garo tribe of Western Meghalaya celebrates the winter harvest with a three-day festival. […] Alva Sangma, the editor of Achik Songbad, a Garo weekly, offered this reporter a lift from Tura. Alva, a former … Read more

The relevance of Vidyasagar in education: “Indian culture is syncretic in nature” – West Bengal

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Suranjan Das, vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University Kolkata Vidyasagar did not want to build India based on religion; instead he wanted India to be the melting pot of all cultures […] Vidyasagar symbolised modernity and he dreamt of India emerging as a modern state. His modernity had no connection with any religion […] Indian culture does … Read more

The Tribe against Itself: Narratives of Ethnicity and Othering of the Bodos and the Adivasis in Bodoland – “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (National Conference)

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Abstract 10: The Tribe against Itself: Narratives of Ethnicity and Othering of the Bodos and the Adivasis in Bodoland Paper presented for “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (National Conference) – New Delhi EVY MEHZABEEN Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi KEYWORDS: IDENTITY, BODOLAND, … Read more