(Re) conceptualizing and Contextualizing ‘Community’ in Tribal/Indigenous Cultures and Development in India

Abstract

This article discusses the need to (re)conceptualize and contextualize ‘community’ in tribal/Indigenous cultures and development practices. While the community has been a key concept in Indian village studies, it has been predominantly analyzed and applied in the caste structural framework of Indian society. Examining the concept in the spectrum of village studies, this article argues that the academic interest in enquiring about communities in India requires widening its scope beyond the caste framework to encompass tribal/Indigenous societies’ development and cultural experiences of community life. It posits to explore the possibilities of multiple meanings of community in the scope of studying tribal village communities.