Indian Tribal Culture: Development and Change

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This book is an academic attempt of the author to present cultural features of Indian tribes.. developmental efforts made by the Government to bring them in mainstream and socio-cultural changes which have occurred in different periods of time making them dynamic and progressive. The book is divided into twenty chapters dealing with the tribals of India. As we know that Indian tribals are found in every geographical region of India such as north-eastern Indian region, north-western Indian region, central Indian region, western Indian region and southern Indian region. Therefore, region- wise cultural practices have been presented in the book describing their social, economic, political, religious, ritualistic, village, polyandrous, polygenous, movements, forest life, women and tribal identity. Changing models of tribal development, welfare programmes and developmental programmes launched by the Government have also found significant place in the book. Processes of socio-cultural changes like Hinduisation, Islamisation, Christianisation, Westernisation, modernisation, secularisation, urbanisation, industrialisation, globalisation, detribalisation, revitalisation, retribalisation and tribalisation have been presented in scientific manner. The book will be of great help to the students of Anthropology, Sociology, History and other social science subjects. It will also be useful to the candidates opting anthropology in different India level or State level competitive examinations and other scholars interested in understanding tribal culture development and change wholistically.

Gaya Pandey (b. 1954) is a retired Professor of Anthropology, Ranchi University, Ranchi. During his whole academic career, he has to his credit 30 books and 40 articles. Books are on different papers which are taught in different universities of India in undergraduate and postgraduate departments of Anthropology. The books are in both Hindi and English medium. Articles have been published in different journals of repute. He actively participated in more than two dozen national and international seminars held in India. Nine Ph.D. scholars have been awarded Ph.D. degree under his supervision by the University of Ranchi.

Book writing is a continuous process since the man has entered in the stage of civilisation. There are a number of books written on tribal cultures by different British administrators, foreign anthropologists and Indian anthropologists. But they deal with culture of a particular tribe in the form of ethnographs and monograms. Again, there are a number of books presenting different aspects of tribal development in India. Furthermore, there are also some books dealing with changes occurring in tribals of India. But in this book, attempt has been made to present a comparative picture of cultural practices prevalent in different geographical regions where tribals are found residing in India. Again tribal development models, approaches, administration, welfare programmes and tribal development programmes have also attained significant place in this book. The socio- cultural changes from Hinduisation to globalisation have been dealt with in detail. Thus, based on textual and contextual approaches, book presents a detailed description of tribal culture development and change in a single cover. This book could achieve its success with the help of a number of scholars at different level of works. Hence, it is my pious duty to extend gratitude and thanks in their names individually and collectively.

My first and foremost gratitude goes to those scholars and anthropologists whose books, articles, papers in the form of secondary sources of data have been used in writing this book. I am equally thankful to my all colleagues in the Department of Anthropology, Ranchi Univeristy, Ranchi who gave me important suggestions related to field situation in present context.

No less thankful I am to all newly appointed Assistant Professors in the Department of Anthropology, Ranchi University, Ranchi to their suggestions on emerging field situation on tribes on which they were working for their Ph.D. Thesis.

All UGC, NET JRFS, SRFs, Maulana Azad JRFS, SRFS and other Ph.D. and M.Phil. students whose suggestions on present scenario of tribal cultures and development have provided me much help. I am thankful to all M.A., M.Sc. students whose Master Dissertations also proved significant for me because they were having information of recent cultural and developmental practices in tribes.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages