VAID'S ICS – Best UPSC Anthropology Coaching in Delhi Since 1985

Comprehensive Classroom Course · Admissions openRegister now
+91 93113 37737
  • +91-93113 37737, +91-99999 46748
  • 73(FF), Old Rajender Nagar Market, Delhi - 110060
  • MON to SUN 9.00 am - 6.00 pm
Facebook Youtube Instagram
Menu
Enquire Now
Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2023/Paper II/Tribal Development, Policy & Safeguards
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2023 20 Marks Model Answer Available

‘Tribes are Backward Hindus’ and G. S. Ghurye — 2023 Paper II

Question · 2023 · Paper II · 20 Marks

“Tribes are backward Hindus.” Critically comment with reference to the contributions of G. S. Ghurye.

Model Answer

VAID ICS

APPROACH

  • Demand of Question: Analyze G.S. Ghurye’s integrationist perspective on tribes, explain the rationale behind his phrase "backward Hindus," and critically evaluate this stance against opposing views and modern anthropological understanding.
  • Structuring the Response: Introduce Ghurye and his seminal work. Explain the rationale behind his thesis (evidence of assimilation). Highlight the analytical strengths (tribe-caste continuum). Critically evaluate the limitations (loss of identity, structural exploitation). Conclude with the contemporary constitutional approach.
  • Key Dimensions to Cover: The Aborigines - So-Called - and Their Future (1943); integrationist vs. isolationist debate; tribe-caste continuum; Verrier Elwin's critique; constitutional safeguards (Schedules V & VI).

MODEL ANSWER

Introduction G.S. Ghurye, a pioneer of Indian sociology, famously characterized Indian tribes as "backward Hindus" in his seminal work, The Aborigines - So-Called - and Their Future (1943). This assertion stemmed from his Indological and integrationist perspective, which fundamentally challenged the colonial administrative view that tribes were pristine, isolated communities entirely distinct from Hindu civilization.

Ghurye’s Thesis: Tribes as "Backward Hindus" Ghurye argued that tribes and Hindu castes have interacted for centuries. He strongly rejected the colonial policy of keeping tribes in isolated "national parks." His rationale included:

  • Religious and Ritual Assimilation: Many tribes worshiped regional Hindu deities, celebrated Hindu festivals, and employed Hindu priests (e.g., the Bhumij adopting Hindu rituals).
  • Economic Integration: Tribes actively participated in local markets and adopted occupational specializations resembling the Hindu Jajmani system.
  • Social Stratification: Several tribal groups actively sought Kshatriya status (e.g., Raj Gonds) to climb the social ladder through Rajputization.

Therefore, Ghurye viewed tribal populations not as a separate ethnographic category, but as imperfectly integrated, socio-economically lagging segments of the broader Hindu society.

Analytical Strengths of Ghurye's View

  • Breaking the False Binary: Ghurye correctly identified that complete tribal isolation was a colonial myth designed to divide and rule.
  • Anticipating the Tribe-Caste Continuum: His observations laid the groundwork for later anthropologists like N.K. Bose (Hindu Method of Tribal Absorption) and Surajit Sinha, who extensively mapped how tribes organically integrated into the caste fold.

Critical Evaluation: Why the Label is Inadequate Despite its sociological value, Ghurye's thesis faces severe anthropological criticism:

  • Over-Assimilationist and Reductionist: India's tribal diversity (e.g., Nagas, Khasis, Bhils, Andamanese) is vast. Reducing their unique kinship, egalitarian ethos, and animistic cosmologies to a "backward" version of Hinduism is highly ethnocentric.
  • The Elwin Critique: Anthropologist Verrier Elwin argued that unregulated assimilation led to a "loss of nerve" among tribes. Hinduization often placed tribes at the very bottom of the caste hierarchy, exposing them to exploitation, land alienation, and indebtedness.
  • Ignoring Structural Asymmetries: Ghurye attributed their condition to mere cultural "backwardness" rather than acknowledging structural violence, forest resource deprivation, and state-backed displacement.

Conclusion While Ghurye’s contribution in highlighting the historical tribe-caste interaction is undeniable, the label "backward Hindus" is normatively hierarchical. The contemporary Indian state rejects total assimilation in favor of "integration with identity," reflected in Constitutional safeguards (Schedules V and VI, PESA, FRA), recognizing tribes as historically connected yet politically and culturally distinct communities.

2026 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of the islands. 2026 'Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan aims to meet some of the Sustainable Development Goals'. Discuss. 2026 Write an account on the contribution of Verrier Elwin in developing policies for the tribal populations in post-independent India. 2026 Article 371A of the Indian Constitution.

Want feedback on your answer?

Join the Anthropology workshop or get structured answer-writing guidance from VAID ICS.

Join Workshop Contact VAID ICS

UPSC Anthropology Optional 2023 — Paper II

28 questions

5(d) Dravidian languages and their subgroups

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 2. Demographic profile of India > Linguistic elements > Dravidian family
2023Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

1(b) Interface between Purushartha and Ashrama

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.1 Structure and nature of traditional Indian social system > Varnashram, Purushartha
2023Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

5(e) Karma and Rebirth

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 3.1 Structure and nature of traditional Indian social system > Karma, Rina and Rebirth
2023Paper IIIndian Society, Caste & CivilizationModel answer available

5(b) Ramapithecus-Sivapithecus debate

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 1.2 Palaeo-anthropological evidences from India > Siwaliks
2023Paper IIPrehistoric ArchaeologyModel answer available

5(a) Scheduled areas

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 7.1 Constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes > Scheduled Areas
2023Paper IITribal Development, Policy & SafeguardsModel answer available

5(c) Village as little republic

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > 5.1 Indian Village > Indian village as a social system
2023Paper IIVillage India, Urbanisation & Social ChangeModel answer available