NCJ Number
119605
Date Published
1989
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Interethnic tension is a serious problem in India today. The Lodhas have fallen victims to a process of labeling by their neighbors, including the administrative apparatus of the polity with which they had only a marginal connection. Because of a process which they had no control over or even awareness of, the Lodhas came to be stigmatized as a criminal tribe.
Abstract
This process dislodged them from their forest habitat and their forest-dependent way of life without providing them with a socially accepted means of livelihood. Until systematic opportunities for the Lodhas are provided, they will not be able to change their status. The Lodhas have been subjected to much suffering because of their specific identity, which they are constantly made conscious of by others around them. An adequate understanding of the problems of different underprivileged communities, irrespective of their current strength and size, is needed if there is to be a long-term solution to interethnic violence in a country like India. 4 tables and bibliography