The Politics of Ethnicity in India, Nepal and China

It gives a general overview of the contemporary situation of ethnic and tribal groups in these countries. The book should not be confused with a comparative study of ethnicities in these countries; the contributors put forth independent case studies. These essays highlight and broaden our understanding of social, cultural and political churnings that have taken place in contemporary times.  The authors are sensitive to the historical and political contexts of the individual countries, which are important for highlighting the different trajectories that the ethnicity question took in different countries. The ethnicity question was primarily posited in terms of Adivasi, Janajati, scheduled ‘tribe’ in India, Adivasi/Janajati ethnic minorities in Nepal and ‘minority nationalities’ in ‘united multinational state’ of the Han majority China. The classification and categorization of ethnicity in one or the other terms had significant bearing on the way these ethnic groups were and continue to be understood. These classifications also radically altered and influenced the politics of these ethnic groups. Thus, the book helps to explore ethnicity/tribal issues through the new emerging narratives, experiences of their sense of identity and of belonging in new shifting contexts (p.5).

The book contains altogether 15 chapters in which three chapters are from Nepal, only one from China, one concluding chapter to contextualize indigenous peoples movement in international forums (Chapter 15 by Irene Bellier) and the remaining chapters are from India. The book seems to have unevenly focused on India; a few additional essays on China and Nepal would have enriched the scope of the book.

The conceptual clarity made in the introductory chapter of terms like ‘tribes’ (tribe vs non-tribe; tribe vs caste), ‘indigenous people’, ‘immigrant’, ‘adivai-janajati’ and ‘autochthonous’ are useful for emerging scholars in the field of anthropology and ethnography. However, not all contributors have rigidly followed these nomenclature and classifications.  There are certain overlaps in uses of terms, which seem to vary from author to author. Nonetheless, the chapters in the book are a product of rigorous academic research and fieldwork and it will generate fresh interest in ethnicity studies.

The book can be broadly divided in three parts for the convenience of this review. First, the making of ‘scheduled tribe’ in India has its own historical context. There is a continuity from the colonial period to independent India (Chapter 1 by Daniel J. Rycroft). Over the period, in India, tribal communities (Santal tribes in India and Kond tribes in Odisha, India) articulated a distinct political imaginary as a community through literature, language, arts and indigenous knowledge. The political articulation of these imaginaries distinctly colored their resistance and politics of representation (Chapter 3 by Marine Carrin, Chapter 5 by Raphael Rousseleau & Chapter 12 by Peter B. Andersen). In the recent period, the question of ‘development’ has become a contentious issue wherein tribal peoples are resisting a bureaucratic developmental model. The forms of these resistance movements have thrown interesting questions. For instance, the state of Odisha in India has been a site of resistance for adivasis like Dongria Kondhs of Niyamgiri Mountains against giant Vedanta Group (Chapter 4 by Pralay Kanungo).  The tribal groups in Andhra Pradesh and Gujrat have seen an upsurge in their quest for their identity. These tribal groups have been raising the questions of injustice, exclusion, exploitation, ownership of natural resources and political autonomy (Chapter 6 by Thanuja Mummidi & Chapter 9 by Satyakam Joshi). While, in another context, North-East India experienced different levels of ethnic conflicts. These conflicts range from inter or intra-tribal conflicts to a struggle against the Indian nation-state. There have also been ethnic movements, which raised the question of ethnic autonomy (Chapter 7 by Sajal Nag). Whereas in the state Jharkhand, the social history of conversion to Christianity among tribal communities complicates social, cultural and political issues (Chapter 10 by Kaushik Ghosh).

Second, Adivasi/Janajati ethnic minorities in Nepal have their own historical specificity.  The diversity of the Himalayan population in terms of multiple languages and cultures has also shaped their identity aspirations in recent times.  At times it has resulted in various facets of fluid, flexible and shifting nature of their identity-based discourses in Nepal and the Himalayas, yet it has also at times led to rhetorical radical politics of their claims to ‘indigeneity’ or ‘autochthonous’ space (Chapter 2 by Gerard Toffin).  In another context, the Janajatis movement in Nepal found momentum in Nepal’s left movement; and, over the period, Adivasi Janajatis movement gathered strength from literature to sensitize against a politically monolithic public sphere dominated by legacy of Hindu Kingdom exclusionary nature of the state Nepal (Chapter 8 by Deepak Thapa & Chapter 13 by Pratyoush Onta).

Third, the ‘minority nationalities’ in the Han majoritarian China people have their own historical specificity (Chapter 14 by Aurelie Nevot). Nevot presents an interesting aspect of the “Yi” minority nationality. She draws attention to a not so visible form of ethnic struggle. On the one hand, the “Yi” minority nationality group is engaged in a struggle to preserve their independent/autonomous status to promote their local religion called Shamanism; and, at the same time, the Chinese government uses tactics to transform these local practices and reintegrate them into mainstream political unification.

The book is academically well-researched with fascinating narratives. It is analytically rich and full of insightful interpretations of the contemporary politics of ethnicity in India, China and Nepal.  It will prove a valuable source for research scholars across the disciplines.  However, the introductory chapters should have been more elaborative for the reasons of conceptual clarity. A more detailed introduction would have been helpful for general readers.

Sohan Prasad Sha, Centre for Studies in Science Policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India. 

Citation: Sohan Prasad Sha. 2016. A review of Carrin, M., Kanungo, P.,  & Toffin, G. (eds.) 2014. The Politics of Ethnicity in India, Nepal and China, posted to New Asia Books on 22 January 2016, http://newbooks.asia/review/politics-ethnicity-india-nepal-and-china