Indigenous peoples in the modern world: A call to end colonial misconceptions and racial stereotyping – National Museum of the American Indian

In the Washington Post [22 November 2017], Kevin Gover, director of the museum, deals with five popular misconceptions about Native America | Read the full story here>> Thanksgiving recalls for many people a meal between European colonists and indigenous Americans that we have invested with all the symbolism we can muster. But the new arrivals who sat … Read more

Need for change of attitudes towards tribal people in India – Andaman

Until there is a widespread change of attitudes towards tribal people in India, where they are still often viewed as ‘primitive’ and ‘backward’, tribes such as the Jarawa will never receive the respect they deserve. The Jarawa’s land and resources must be protected so they are safe from exploitation. It is only when they are … Read more

Tribal Politics – adivasi culture, language, and religion in Encyclopedia of India

Tribal Politics The “tribal” peoples or adivasis of India, according to the 2001 census, constitute roughly 8.1 percent of the country’s population, some 83,6 million people, classified under 461 different communities. They occupy a belt stretching from the Bhil regions of western India through the Gond districts of central India, to Jharkhand and Bengal, where … Read more

“Real history is created by ordinary people”: Mahashweta Devi (1926-2016), a writer who became a voice of marginalised communities

Mahashweta Devi, a writer who became a voice of marginalised communities Mahashweta Devi was not just an onlooker, but a responsible representative of the downtrodden and the ignored population of India She always believed that the real history is created by ordinary people. For her, the endless source of inspiration for writing used to lie … Read more

Mahasweta Devi: A model in which activism and writing can reflect upon each other

Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in the city of Dacca in East Bengal (modern day Bangladesh). As an adolescent, she and her family moved to West Bengal in India. Born into a literary family, Mahasweta Devi was also influenced by her early association with Gananatya, a group who attempted to bring social and political … Read more