Understanding Tribal or Indigenous societies in India and their present trajectories of change

<strong>North East India Studies Programme School of Social Sciences</strong> Invites you to a Talk on <strong>"Understanding Tribal or Indigenous societies in India and their present trajectories of change"</strong> <strong>Prof. Felix Padel</strong> Visiting Professor, North East India Studies Programme <strong>Abstract : </strong>Every aspect of this topic is understood in various, often conflicting ways. One often contentious aspect is terminology - "Adivasi", "Indigenous" Tribal"... Another is how these much "anthropologized" societies should be understood, and how they understand themselves. Another concerns different ways of understanding change. "Development" is the official is concept for understanding this; but it is a multi-faceted process, and in some ways these societies are undergoing a process that could be understood as "de-development", in as far as highly developed community systems and economies based on a symbiosis with the natural environment that endured for centuries are being undermined. In central India, "Hinduization" or "Sanskritization" have often been a lense for understanding; "Hindutvaization" is today's extension of that; Maoists and other groups radicalise communities; and the market and corporate world also have a huge influence. How to understand these &amp; other aspects of social change among these societies? Date: <strong>21st October, 2015</strong>