Debating Modernity, Colonialism, and Categorisation of ’Tribes’ in India | Chhotelal Kumar

Abstract

The article engages in a discourse surrounding ’Modernity, Colonialism, and the Categorisation of Tribals in India.’ Within this context, I aim to elucidate the intricate intertwining of these themes and their impact on Indigenous communities. The article delves into the trajectory and dynamics of the interaction between Indigenous populations and Colonial Masters, shedding light on the manner in which these diverse groups were systematically classified within the dichotomy of civilized and savage. But the question remains: What made them argue these tribes won’t survive this change? Why are they deemed primitive and noble savages? Why and How are they categorised as a ’Tribe’? How were they brought under the ambit of Colonialism? What lies beneath the idea of progress and its culmination of domination? These are some of the few questions that this work will explore and try to answer.

__0__

Modernity and Colonialism had very rupturing relations with tribes, also referred to more precisely in India as Schedule Tribes. Several theories were articulated over what would happen to these (primitive) peoples. It was widely believed that their nature-dependent primordial life would not survive this modern complex world. But the question remains: What made them argue these tribes won’