Question 1 · 175 words written
Ethnicity and integration in the context of tribes
Opening · a definition
Anthropologists like Malinowski have defined tribes as relatively isolated, homogeneous social groups following similar culture and way of life.
Body · continuous prose
Tribes constitute around 8% of India's population. But after India's independence, the country adopted V. Elwin's Tribal isolation policy (to repair the cultural dislocation caused by colonial rule as advocated by Desai) through Pt Nehru's Tribal Panchsheel formula.
However, failure of this policy led to a shift in approach towards continued integration as suggested by L.P. Vidyarthi (& Ghurye earlier) through Tribal sub plan scheme from 4th FYP onward.
However, integration of tribes remains an incomplete agenda due to policy failure, failure in implementation, continued exploitation, displacement, cultural rootlessness and state apathy making tribes sub citizens as indicated by Xaxa, Pathy, Fernandes.
This has led to ethnic mobilitation of tribes to fight for their rights and developing into sub-nationalism eg: Naga Movement, Bodoland Movement, due to failure of state to integrate them into the mainstream.
Close
The core persistence of the Naxalite movement over decades speaks volumes about the paradox of development and hence the ethnic mobilization.