Revision summary
Anthropology treats tribe as a social type on a continuum with caste. The Indian census mainly counts Scheduled Tribes on a notified list. ST can be Hindu or Christian in religion columns. The same community may be ST in one state and not in another. Census cannot settle the Ghurye-Elwin argument.
Model answer
Copper italics in this answer — like this — are the key facts. Each one is unpacked in the Facts & figures rail.
Introduction
Tribe in anthropology is a type of society. Tribe in the Indian census is a legal-administrative label, mainly Scheduled Tribe. The two overlap and they fight.
Body
Anthropological concept
- Classic marks are segmentary kinship, territory, and a political order below the state. Bailey and Sinha then placed many Indian groups on a tribe-caste continuum.
- Ghurye flattened tribe into backward Hindu. Elwin kept a cultural isolate. Census clerks cannot referee that debate.
Census practice
- Colonial census listed tribes as a religion or a race box. After independence, ST is a presidential notified list by state, not a fieldwork diagnosis.
- A person is ST for the count if the community is listed and local certificates follow. Language and faith may be Hindu, Christian, or other.
- Groups on the continuum may be ST in one state and a caste in another. The census records the list, not the ethnography.
Problem
- Political demand to enter the ST list uses census numbers. Anthropology of tribe cannot be reduced to that petition.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD A[Anthropological tribe] --> C[Continuum kinship territory] S[Census ST] --> L[Presidential list] S --> N[Headcount benefits]
Conclusion
Census tribe is a notified category for counting and benefits. Anthropological tribe is a social type. Teaching must keep both, or the list swallows the concept.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Politics of recognition and deprivation.
Next question on this syllabus topic (2021 · Q5(e)). View answer →
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Does the census define tribe scientifically?
No. It enumerates a legal list.
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Can a Christian be ST in the census?
Yes if the community is notified as ST. Religion and ST are different columns.
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2025 · Q4(c) · Anthropology GS 2 · 15 marks
Critically examine the concept of Scheduled Tribe (ST) and mention the limitations of administrator's criteria -
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B.K. Roy Burman's concept of 'Buffer Zone'
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