Grappling with Change, Acting as Agents - the Korwa Tribe on Modernization in India

• In Event: 41021 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 22: Global Epistemologies

Abstract

This study examines how the Korwa tribe in Chhattisgarh, India, has adapted to life in lowland villages near small towns, focusing on their agency and aspirations within India's modernization project over the last three decades. Using semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observation in Shankargarh and its outskirts, particularly the hilly area of Jam Paani, the research explores how the Korwa navigate monetary systems, fulfill social duties, and interact with local government and pastoral landowners. The study is set against the backdrop of the Korwa's forced displacement from forest areas in the early 1970s and subsequent adaptation to lowland village life. It investigates how the tribe members, both older individuals who recall displacement and younger ones who grew up in villages, conceive their identity and agency in the context of increasing participation in local economics and political mobilization. Findings reveal that Korwa members form identities by drawing boundaries within their tribe and with pastoral landowners. These distinctions range from characterizing others as illiterate or 'primitive' to viewing them as fearful or engaging in infighting. Interactions with landowners further indicate inter-boundary making between landowners and tribe, as a means of identity formation. The research indicates that the national discourse of modernization shapes the identity formations of tribe members as they grapple with notions of change and 'progress'. It explores how the Korwa attribute social meaning to money and how they receive and earmark government assistance. The study also examines the contrasting narratives between Korwa members and pastoral landowners, both of whom are positioning themselves within the broader context of India's modernization. This research contributes to understanding how isolated groups like the Korwa narrate their own experience of modernization, contrasting with the dominant narrative led by the Indian middle class. It provides insights into the complex interplay between traditional tribal life, economic changes, and the pursuit of modernity in rural India.

Author

• Lisa Raj Singh, University of Chicago