Abstract
Adivasi communities in India have long been subjected to structural exclusion, marginalization, and misrepresentation within mainstream society and state policies. My presentation will offer a comprehensive analysis of Adivasi struggles in both historical and contemporary contexts through the interconnected themes of “exclusion” and “resistance.” The exclusion of Adivasis manifests in various forms such as land dispossession, displacement due to industrial and infrastructural projects, denial of cultural autonomy, and lack of political representation. Often, the state portrays Adivasi regions as backward or insurgency-prone, thereby justifying the weakening of constitutional safeguards such as the Fifth Schedule and the PESA Act.
However, Adivasi communities have not silently accepted this exclusion. They have consistently resisted through grassroots movements, armed struggle, environmental activism, and cultural assertion. The limitations of state-sponsored mechanisms of representation and the gap between legal entitlements (such as the Forest Rights Act, 2006) and their actual implementation will also be highlighted.
Contact us for more info about the Summer School
Get in touch