Scheduled Tribes and the Politics of Inclusion in India

What is it about?

As the identification of Scheduled Tribes (STs) is left to the state government – which bases decisions on political considerations rather than the established criteria for identification of STs – there are bound to be emerging demands for inclusion in the list of STs. Meanwhile, in the name of extending welfare projects and affirmative action to tribal people, the state is legitimizing its control over tribal resources. For STs, the important issue is not integration into mainstream society, nor development by any outside agency, but recognition as peoples in their own right, treatment as equal partners, and control over their lands and livelihoods and, through this, the ability to develop themselves.

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