Depletion and destruction of forests have eroded the already fragile survival base of adivasis across the country. Deprived of their traditional livelihoods, an alarmingly large number of adivasis have been displaced to make way for development projects. Many have been forced to migrate to other rural areas, the urban fringes or cities in search of work, leading to further alienation.
This systematic alienation, however, is not a modern-day phenomenon. Invasion of adivasi territories, for the most part, commenced during the colonial era and later intensified during the post-colonial period. The Adivasi Question situates the issues concerning the adivasis in a historical context while discussing the challenges they face today.
The introduction examines how the loss of land and livelihood began under the British administration. The British brought tribal land under their control and weaned the adivasis away from shifting cultivation. It analyses how the colonial government forced a section of the adivasis to take up cultivation on lower rates of assessment, thereby making them dependent on the landlord-moneylender-trader nexus for their survival.
The articles, drawn from writings of almost four decades, discuss questions of community rights and ownership, management of forests, the state’s rehabilitation policies, and the Forest Rights Act and its implications. It presents diverse perspectives in the form of case studies specific to different regions and provides valuable analytical insights.
Bringing together contributions by well-known sociologists, historians and environmental activists, this book will be an indispensible read for students and scholars of environmental studies, anthropology, sociology, political science, and policy-analysts.
Indra Munshi retired as Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Bombay.
List of Tables and Figures Introduction by Indra Munshi
Section I Regulations and Resistance, Adivasi Communities in the Colonial Context 1. Forestry in British and Post-British India: A Historical Analysis Ramachandra Guha 2. State ‘Simplification’: Garo Protest in Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Assam Sanjeeva Kumar 3. Peasantisation of Adivasis in Thane District Ashok K. Upadhyaya
Section II Loss of Land, Loss of Nerve 4. Alienation of Tribal Lands in Tamil Nadu: Panel Data Analysis E. Selvarajan 5. Displacement from Land: Case of Santhal Parganas Nitya Rao 6. Land Distribution among Scheduled Castes and Tribes B. B. Mohanty 7. Land Reforms: Turning the Clock Back Brian Lobo 8. Illegal Acquisition in Tribal Areas: K. Balagopal
Section III Forest Degradation and Forest Communities 9. Forest Degradation, Changing Workforce Structure and Population Redistribution: The Case of Birhors in Jharkhand Sohel Firdos 10. Deforestation in Andaman and Nicobar: Its Impact on Onge Pankaj Sekhsaria 11. Women and Forests DN
Section IV Conservation vs Community Rights 12. Repopulating the Landscape: Space against Place in Narmada Valley Judy Whitehead 13. Gajah and Praja: Conservation, Control and Conflicts SagariR. Ramdas 14. Resolving People-Sanctuary Conflict in Protected Areas: Kushiara Village, Mirzapur Neela Mukherjee
Section V Displacement and Rehabilitation: Role of the State 15. Displacement due to Mining in Jharkhand MathewAreeparampil 16. Displacement and Rehabilitation of an Adivasi Settlement: Case of Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh Asmita Kabra 17. Sardar Sarovar Oustees: Coping with Displacement Renu Modi
Section VI Forest Rights Act: A Step Forward 18. Issues Related to Implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Andhra Pradesh M. Gopinath Reddy, K. AnilKumar, P. Trinadha Rao, and Oliver Springate-Baginski 19. Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2005 Indra Munshi 20. Implementation of the Forest Rights Act in the Western Ghats Region of Kerala Jyothis Sathyapalan 21. Fire in the Forest Mahesh Rangarajan 22. Empowering Gramsabhas to Manage Biodiversity: The Science Agenda Madhav Gadgil
Section VII Resource Management: By Whom and for Whom 23. Civilisational Change: Markets and Privatisation among Indigenous Peoples Dev Nathan and Govind Kelkar 24. Behroonguda: A Rare Success Story in Joint Forest Management Emmanuel D’Silva and B. Nagnath 25. Fate of the Forest: Conservation and Tribal Rights Amita Baviskar List of Authors