Evolution of the Concept of Tribe in the Indian Context: Critical Perspectives in Sociology and Social Anthropology

Author(s)	Mr. Arindam Phukan
Country	India
Abstract	Tribal Studies in India, since the beginning, has been an inter-disciplinary field of study comprising of scholars and researchers from mainly anthropology, Sociology and other disciplines. Different scholars have from time to time tried to define and conceptualize the concept or idea of tribe in their own ways of understanding and several methodological issues have also emerged during the process. The concept of tribe in the Indian context remains a much debated and contested category, it has evolved over time with contributions from several scholars. The aim of this paper to historically look at the concept of tribe in the Indian context and to critically analyse the theoretical and conceptual viewpoints provided by the scholars. Also, to delineate the Indian concept of tribe as different from other parts of world due to historical and socio-cultural factors remains another important objective of this paper.
Keywords	Tribe, Indian society, Tribal studies, Anthropology and Sociology.
Field	Sociology
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-07-04
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.82919

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