Abstracts
Abstract
Focusing on the indigenous Bhil community in central India, this paper examines the role of British colonial policies in paving the way for ‘tribal identity’ formation and, how postcoloniality, or the postcolonial condition, is continuing to shape this identity. I interrogate the power of the colonial and contemporary government to categorize, and how such categories persist in the consciousness of the Indian government, mainstream communities, and more significantly, among indigenous communities themselves. Modernizing and developing the Bhil (among other indigenous communities) has been a national goal for the nation-state since independence. According to Indian development policies, building an agrarian community that is self-sufficient and empowered is in the best interest of the nation and its economic growth. I argue that far from portraying a unified national identity to demonstrate modernity and progress to the world, Indian policies have instead created politicized identities, which serve to perpetuate stereotypes and contain their subjects in exploitative cycles of debt, dependency, and development.
Résumé
En se concentrant sur la communauté indigène Bhil dans le centre de l’Inde, cet article examine le rôle des politiques coloniales britanniques dans la formation d’une « identité tribale », et comment la postcolonialité, ou la condition postcoloniale, continue de façonner cette identité. Cet article examine le pouvoir de catégoriser des gouvernements colonial et contemporain, et comment ces catégories persistent dans la conscience du gouvernement indien, des communautés dominantes et, le plus important, parmi les communautés autochtones elles-mêmes. La modernisation et le développement des Bhil (parmi d’autres communautés autochtones) ont été un objectif national pour l’État-nation depuis l’indépendance. Selon les politiques de développement indiennes, la construction d’une communauté agraire autosuffisante et autonome est dans le meilleur intérêt de la nation et de sa croissance économique. Je soutiens que loin de dépeindre une identité nationale unifiée pour montrer modernité et progrès au monde, les politiques indiennes ont plutôt créé des identités politisées, qui servent à perpétuer les stéréotypes et à contenir leurs sujets dans des cycles d’exploitation de la dette, de la dépendance et du développement.
Appendices
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