Reclaiming indigeneity and democracy in India's Jharkhand
In: Oxford scholarship online
In: Political Science
Created in 2000 following a long-standing regional movement, Jharkhand - the land of forests - represents an important experiment in regional autonomy and self-determination for indigenous communities in a postcolonial democracy. Over two decades, Jharkhand has experienced a volatile political environment as competing political groups have mobilised indigenous subaltern communities for different ends. In 'Reclaiming Indigeneity and Democracy in India's Jharkhand', Ipshita Basu contributes to scholarship on critical social justice and indigeneity by highlighting 'relations of justification' as a central feature of group-based claims-making for social groups identifying with indigeneity in diverse ways. Specifically, the book focuses on reclaiming political recognition for Adivasis within the contemporary dynamics of majoritarian populism and the market economy.