Debating dussehra and reinterpreting rebellion in bastar district, central india

Abstract

This article unpacks the history of a ‘tribal’ region in Central India to show that the current appearance of ‘two‐dimensionality’ or stark opposition between the people and the state is a product of colonial and post‐colonial policies rather than a pre‐colonial relic. It challenges the idea of ‘coercive subordination’ as an adequate explanation for kingship in this area, as argued by the late Alfred Gell. Instead, this article uses the same phenomena, annual Dussehra rituals and successive rebellions, to argue for a more dialectical concept of hegemony. It also takes issue with culturalist interpretations of rule, arguing instead for a historically nuanced political economy.