Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Sociology

Chapter

Indian Society: Continuity and Change

Question:

Read the paragraph below and answer the following question.

The famous isolation versus integration debate of the 1940s built upon this standard picture of tribal societies as isolated wholes. The isolationist side argued that tribals needed protection from traders, moneylenders and Hindu and Christian missionaries all of whom were intent on reducing tribals to detribalised landless labour. The integrationists, on the other hand, argued that tribals were merely backward Hindus, and their problems had to be addressed within the same framework as that of backward classes. This opposition dominated the Constituent Assembly debates, which were finally settled along the lines of a compromise which advocated welfare schemes that would enable controlled integration. The subsequent schemes for tribal development - five year plans, tribal sub-plans, tribal welfare blocks, special multipurpose area schemes all continue with this mode of thinking. But the basic issue here is that the integration of tribes has neglected their own needs or desires; integration has been on the terms of the mainstream society and for its own benefit. The tribal societies have had their lands, forests taken away and their communities shattered in the name of development.

Name the process of excluding tribals and reducing them to detribalised landless labour.

Options:

Primordial process

Isolation process

Integration process

Moderisation process

Correct Answer:

Integration process

Explanation:

The paragraph discusses a historical debate about the isolation versus integration of tribal societies in the 1940s. The integrationists argued that tribals were considered backward Hindus, and their issues needed to be addressed within the same framework as that of backward classes. The integration process, in this context, refers to incorporating or assimilating tribal communities into the mainstream society. However, the passage suggests that this integration has been detrimental to the tribes, as it has neglected their own needs or desires. Instead, it has been carried out on the terms of the mainstream society and for its own benefit. As a result, tribal societies have faced the loss of their lands and forests, leading to the reduction of tribals to detribalized landless labor. Therefore, the process of integration, as described in the paragraph, has been disadvantageous for the tribal communities.