Ritual and Cultural Practice Among Indian Adivasis

Abstract

Recent political developments and the large-scale onslaught of neo-liberal capital through its alliance with the forces of Hindu nationalism has forced scholars to relook at the problem of ritual and cultural practice in adivasi/tribal societies. The articulation of adivasi identity (which embodies within it a celebration of ritual and cultural practice) is not necessarily an alternative to these hegemonic and oppressive forces. Rather, as this essay shows, they may in fact get incorporated into dominant cultural practice. In order to explore this proposition, this essay reconstructs the contemporary history of the ways in which culture has been studied and practiced in adivasi life. Apart from the introduction and conclusion, this essay is divided into six sections. The first two sections are conceptual, as they explore the theoretical perspectives and set up the argument to see ritual and cultural practice as socially and politically constructed entities. The third section further extends this argument by exploring the dialectical relationship between adivasi symbolism and their changing material reality. The last three sections locate the empirical history of adivasi politics and cultural practice within this context. Essentially, they look at the interaction between adivasi politics, cultural practice and the changing character of hegemonic forces. Within this structure, the essay argues for a more reflexive and complex way of understanding between class, culture and adivasi politics.