Representing Indigeneity in South Asia: An Introduction

This Special Issue is dedicated to representations of the “Indigenous” or “tribal” populations in South Asia who have long been perceived as cultural exceptions but have attained a new articulated visibility and an amplified political resonance today. British colonial state policies placed them among the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in the subcontinent and perceived them through a variety of lenses, ranging from “noble savage” to “born criminals,” all of which continue to influence contemporary imaginings of “tribal” populations. For both the colonial and post-colonial states, “indigenous” ways of life were an aberration, running counter to the needs of mainstream society. In recent decades, the conflict between an indigenous world view, with its close ties to nature, and the demand of the neoliberal, globalized world economy for unlimited access to natural resources has been particularly sharp.