Tribal Studies in India Perspectives of History, Archaeology and Culture

This book provides comprehensive information on enlargement of methodological and empirical choices in a multidisciplinary perspective by breaking down the monopoly of possessing tribal studies in the confinement of conventional disciplinary boundaries. Focusing on anyone of the core themes of history, archaeology or anthropology, the chapters are suggestive of grand theories of tribal interaction over time and space within a frame of composite understanding of human civilization. With distinct cross-disciplinary analytical frames, the chapters maximize reader insights into the emerging trend of perspective shifts in tribal studies, thus mapping multi-dimensional growth of knowledge in the field and providing a road-map of empirical and theoretical understanding of tribal issues in contemporary academics. This book will be useful for researchers and scholars of anthropology, ethnohistory ethnoarchaeology and of allied subjects like sociology, social work, geography who are interested in tribal studies. Finally, the book can also prove useful to policy makers to better understand the historical context of tribal societies for whom new policies are being created and implemented.

1. Tribal Studies:  Emerging Perspectives from History, Archaeology and Ethnography Maguni Charan Behera.- Part I: Getting into Tribal History.- 2. The Bhils in the Historic Setting of Western India Nandini Sinha Kapur.- 3. Exploring Ethnohistory of Arunachal Pradesh Tana Showren.- 4. Historical Reconstruction of the Past of Northeast India: An Assessment of Colonial Writings Amrendra Kr Thakur.- 5. Schooling ‘Truant’ Tribes: British Colonial Compulsions and Educational Evolution in Chhotanagpur, 1870–1930 Joseph Bara.- 6. Vulnerability of Autochthon Paharias of Santal Praganas: Revealing Continuity of Colonial Legacy Dinesh Narayan Verma.- 7. Bible Translation in Kuki-Chin of Indo-Myanmar and Bangladesh: A Historical  Analysis D. Letkhojam Haokip.- Part II: Ethno-Dimension of Archaeology.- 8. Archaeology through Ethnography: An Academic Treatment with the Study of Human Past Mayanglambam ManiBabu.- 9. Ethnography to Archaeology: Tracing the past of the Tribes of Assam and Adjoining Areas Dwipen Bezbaruah.- 10. On the Discovery of Megalithic Art in Manipur P. Binodini Devi.- 11. Prehistoric Art and Living Traditions: A Study of Selected Rock Art Sites in Odisha Dibishada B. Garnayak.- 12. Ethnography: An Emerging Trend in Rock Art Research Seema Mamta Minz.- Part III: Historicity in Cultural Understanding.- 13. Envisaging Tribal Culture and Decoding Anthropological Museums Nilanjan Khatua.- 14. On Weltanschauung and Witchcraft among the Indian tribes G. Kanato Chophy.- 15. Yangpi Morung: An Expression of Ideals and IdentityTiasunep and Neingusanuo Solo.- 16. Expressing the Unexpressed: The Minicoy Islanders of Lakshadweep Mohammad Nasir Ahmad.- 17. Contact and Conflict:  Case of Inhabitants of Andaman Islands Umesh Kumar.

M. C. Behera, M. A., Ph. D (Economics) from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, has been pursuing researches on tribal studies and rural economics from mid-1980s. He has authored/edited/co-edited more than 30 volumes on socio-economic and cultural life of tribal and rural people from theoretical and empirical perspectives. To his credit, he has more than sixty research papers on national and international topics published in various national and international journals. He has presented about sixty five papers in national and international seminars/conferences in the country and abroad. He is a member of many professional bodies. Dr. Behera was a Professor of Indigenous Culture Studies and Dean School of Cultural Studies, Central University of Jharkhand before he joined as Director of Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India.