38 – Adivasis and Adivasi Studies

Long Abstract

Adivasi Studies, centred on the subject of the adivasi, still has some way to go in asserting its importance as a new field of enquiry in academia today. Yet, the field is expanding as courses on adivasis, indigeneity, minorities, discrimination and exclusion are taught in Indian universities and across the globe. This panel seeks to initiate a critical discussion around the adivasi and to delineate the possible contours of the field of Adivasi Studies, its dialogue with Aboriginal Studies, Indigenous Studies, Dalit Studies, Environmental History, Development Studies, and other allied fields. How can the field of Adivasi Studies be decolonised, academics and activists brought together? Can the story of the Indian adivasi feed into global debates of indigeniety and indigenousness particularly in the contexts of Asia, Africa, Latin America and Australia? Scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds – archaeology, anthropology, history, sociology and developmental economics – are invited to explore the possibility of dialogue across disciplines, time-frames, geographical spaces and trans-national initiatives.