Mapping the Tribal Economy: A Case Study from a South-Indian State

In almost all developing and developed nations, tribals (indigenous people) are viewed as historical object of curiosity. In India the tribes (indigenous groups) have been marginalised by creation of administrative boundaries and further hedged in by administrative (forest and land) policies, legislations, colonial and modern market economic orientations, technology, indifference state policies and social pressures. The way of life of tribal communities, production and distribution relations among them have undergone significant change in recent decades. It became necessary to enquire as to how these changes were brought about and what their impact was in the historical context. The book brings the issues together like the variations in the magnitude of land alienation, methods of land alienation, the tribal (indigenous) movements and restoration of alienated land among the selected villages. It also examines the role of changes in the technology, cropping pattern, irrigation, agricultural wages, nature of work and number of working days in a year among the tribal people and their impact on overcome from the poverty and other wise in the tribal economy. It focuses chiefly on social and political mobilisation among tribal population, the role of non-governmental organisations in the process of building awareness and educating them towards understanding legal procedures and techniques to deal with the issues of land alienation, labour exploitation and restoration of alienated land. With its insightful contributions, it will be of immense value to teachers, students, and scholars of economics, tribal studies, economic anthropology, public administration and Social work departments. It will also be of interest to policy makers, administrators, social activists and non-governmental organisations and those working with tribal communities.