A Tryst with the Tribes
A Comparison of State - Tribe Relations in Pre-Colonial and Colonial India
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5795510 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sagnik Bhattacharya (0000-0001-9899-2826, University of Groningen, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Publication date | 2020-07-06 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | PREPRINT |
| Publisher | Center for Open Science (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.31235/osf.io/smdza |
| OpenAlex | W4239069131 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 4 |
It is well-known that the relationship between the colonial State and the Tribes in nineteenth century India had been particularly conflict-ridden and interrupted by periodic 'insurrections' or rebellions. This paper studies the relationship between the pre-colonial Mughal State and its tribes and juxtaposes it against the colonial state's management of the Khonds and the Santals, and explores what can be known about the nature of the nineteenth century 'Indian' state that is fundamentally different from its earlier avatars. Employing police reports and legal court files, this paper concludes, that the uniqueness of the colonial State lay in its unilateral interactions with the tribes that is a product of the transition from a state that exercised 'narrative sovereignty' over its territories to one that aspired to enforce 'actual sovereignty.' This categorical change in the nature of the state, this paper argues, employing Marshall Sahlins' 'possible theory of history,' caused structural changes in the tribe-state relationship-the breakdown of which then became irreconcilable and the tribes reacted by performing rituals such as the meriah and the bitlaha which now assumed political functions. These rituals in their novel incarnation earned the label of 'insurrection
Incarnation · Tribe · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · South Asian Studies and Conflicts
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |