TEACHING AS CIVILISING MISSION: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC REFLECTION OF SCHOOLING IN RURAL BASTAR

Abstract

Since the creation of the administrative and epistemic category of savage in the late 19th century, the dichotomy of savage- civilised had been an intrinsic part of school education in Adivasi areas. Though, in contemporary academic discourse, the colonial construction of tribe is now considered as myth however, in actual teaching practices education as civilising mission is still constituting educational reality of Adivasi students. Drawing data from ethnographic fieldwork, conducted in rural Bastar, this paper attempt to explore the ongoing conflation between school education and civilising mission from the teacher’s perspective. The paper argues that relegation of teacher professional development in government school system under neoliberal regime draw limitation to visualise their role in broader framework of liberal education. As a result, with all good intension and commitment, they locate the Adivasi community and students in a dominant framework of savage and uncivilised and define school education as civilising mission.