Read the passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
Over time, a middle class adivasi intellectual leadership emerged that formulated the demand for a separate state and lobbied for it in India and abroad. Adivasi experiences of marginalisation and their sense of injustice were mobilised to create a shared Jharkhandi identity and inspire collective action that eventually led to the formation of a separate state. The issues against which the leaders of the movement in Jharkhand agitated were:
- acquisition of land for large irrigation projects and firing ranges;
- survey and settlement operations, which were held up, camps closed down, etc.
- collection of loans, rent and cooperative dues, which were resisted;
- nationalisation of forest produce which they boycotted
On what grounds are tribal identities formed today?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Interactional
Option (2) Interactional — Correct. Tribal communities were incorporated into mainstream processes by force, and this changed their culture and society as much as their economy. Their identities today are formed by this interactional process; because the terms of interaction were mostly unfavourable, many of these identities are centred on resistance to the non-tribal world.
Note: The case study is taken from the chapter ‘Social Movements’, but this question is based on the chapter ‘Social Institutions: Continuity and Change’. However, since it is a case-study based question, all the questions on this case study are tagged to the chapter the case study is taken from.
NCERT (2025-26): “Tribal Identity Today … Forced incorporation of tribal communities into mainstream processes has had its impact on tribal culture and society as much as its economy. Tribal identities today are formed by this interactional process rather than any primordial (orginal, ancient) characteristics peculiar to tribes. Because the interaction with the mainstream has generally been on terms unfavourable to the tribal communities, many tribal identities today are centred on ideas of resistance and opposition to the overwhelming force of the non-tribal world.…” |