Adivasis and Marginalization

Understanding Marginalization

• To be marginalized is to be forced to occupy the sides or fringes, not being at the center of things.
• Various factors like different language, customs, religion, poverty, and social status can lead to marginalization.
• Marginalized groups often face hostility, fear, lack of access to resources and opportunities, and powerlessness.
• Economic, social, cultural, and political factors combine to make groups feel marginalized.

Adivasis and Marginalization

• Adivasis means "original inhabitants," are communities that live in close association with forests
• They comprise 8% of India's population.
• Many of India's important mining and industrial centers are located in Adivasi areas like Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bokaro, and Bhilai
• There are over 500 different Adivasi groups in India
• Adivasis are particularly numerous in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and the northeastern states.
• Adivasi groups often exhibit little social hierarchy.
• Adivasi belief systems differ from other religions and involve the worship of ancestors, village spirits, and nature spirits.
• Adivasis influenced dominant religions, and were influenced by surrounding religions like Shakta, Buddhist, Vaishnav, Bhakti, and Christianity.
• Adivasi languages have influenced mainstream Indian languages like Bengali; Santhali has significant publications.

Adivasis and Stereotyping

• Adivasi communities are often portrayed in stereotypical ways, such as in colorful costumes or through dancing.
• Stereotyping can lead to perceptions of Adivasis as exotic, primitive, backward, and resistant to change.

Adivasis and Development

• Forests were crucial to the development of empires and settled civilizations in India
• Forests provided metal ores, timber, medicinal herbs, animal products, and recharged India's rivers.
• Adivasis had knowledge of, access to, and control over forest tracts until the mid-19th century.
• Adivasis were not ruled by large states/empires, and empires often depended on them for forest resources.
• Adivasis were traditionally hunter-gatherers, nomads, and practiced shifting or settled agriculture
• Since the past 200 years, Adivasis have been forced to migrate as workers due to economic changes, forest policies, and political force
• From the 1830s, Adivasis from Jharkhand and nearby areas migrated to plantations in India and worldwide, including Mauritius, the Caribbean, and Australia.
• India's tea industry became possible due to Adivasi labor in Assam, where there are now 70 lakh Adivasis.
• Migration of Adivasis was full of hardship, torture, heartbreak, and death; five lakh Adivasis died in the 19th century alone.

Further Impacts of Loss of Land

• Forest lands have been cleared for timber, agriculture, and industry
• Adivasi lands, rich in minerals, are taken over for mining and other projects, sometimes forcefully.
• Over 50% of displaced persons due to mines and mining projects are tribals.
• 79% of displaced people from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand are tribals.
• Large tracts of Adivasi lands have gone under dams
• In the northeast, Adivasi lands remain militarized
• India has 106 national parks and 573 wildlife sanctuaries, where tribals originally lived but were evicted; those who remain are termed encroachers
• Losing lands and forest access means tribals lose livelihood and food; many migrate to cities, working for low wages
• 45% of tribal groups in rural areas and 35% in urban areas live below the poverty line, leading to deprivation
• Many tribal children are malnourished, and literacy rates are very low
• Displaced Adivasis lose traditions, customs, and way of life

Minorities and Marginalisation

• The Constitution provides safeguards to religious and linguistic minorities,
• A minority is numerically small in relation to population; it encompasses power, resources, and social/cultural dimensions.
• The Constitution recognizes majority influence in society, safeguarding smaller communities against cultural domination, discrimination, and disadvantage.

Muslims and Marginalization

• Muslims are 14.2% of India’s population and are considered a marginalized community due to comparatively lower socio-economic development
• 2005 The government set up a high-level committee, which was chaired by Justice Rajindar Sachar, to examine social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community
• The data indicates The Muslim community's situation is comparable to that of other marginalised communities like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• The average years of schooling for Muslim children aged 7-16 is lower than that of other socio-religious communities
• Social marginalisation of Muslims has led migration from places of residence and ghettoisation
• Prejudice towards Muslims has led to hatred and violence.
• The Sachar Committee Report debunked myths about Muslims. The figures show that only 4% of Muslim children are in Madarsas, 66% attend government schools and 30% private schools.
• Constitution rights must be protected to achieve a diverse country.

Conclusion

• Marginalization is a complex phenomenon with experiences differing among various communities
• Marginalization is linked to disadvantage, prejudice, and powerlessness
• There are several more marginalised communities, like Dalits
• Marginalised communities want to maintain their cultural distinctiveness while having access to rights, development and other opportunities.
• Yet, the lives of marginalised people can and do change.
• Marginalized communities want to maintain their cultural distinctiveness while having access to rights, development and other opportunities.