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Adivasi Studies: A Historian's Voice

Presenter:

· Sangeeta Dasgupta Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi, India)

Timeslot:

07/29 | 12:00-12:20 UTC+2/CEST

Abstract

How do we, as academics in university spaces respond to the different ways in which narratives centering on adivasis are crafted, their past explored and explained? How do we understand the historical imperatives of unpacking colonial discourse and recovering adivasi voices from the colonial archive, and counterpoise it to a communitarian initiative which privileges myths and legends, oral narratives and lived experiences? Exploring such issues makes us realize the challenges implicit in the field of Adivasi Studies, which, I argue, is constantly re-thinking its domain, incorporating newer themes of research within its ambit, recognizing the limits of its enquiry, and yet creatively thinking of ways to respond to the challenges that emerge.