Material on prehistoric and protohistoric researches in Orissa has been collected by the author who has added upon the work of Dr G.C Mohapatra with the latest finds on the basis of extensive explorations and excavations in different parts of Orissa by various scholars. The book will be useful to scholars and students.

Contributed articles presented at the National Conference organized by Department of History, Mahila College, Chaibasa on 7-8 March, 2008 sponsored by UGC Eastern Regional Office, Kolkata.

This book is an attempt in compiling all such available information based on the critical study of literature till date, and, on the interactions of the author with the indigenous people during his more than three decades of association with the forest and the people of the area. The necessity for such an attempt, for a specific region, rich both in MAP as well as the tribal, in whom the available knowledge has been concisely recorded, was keenly felt to provide guidance to the future researchers in objective ethnobotany (OE) as well as in indigenous drugs. This book is also intended for the forest officers, who faces numerous enquiries addressed to them by quoting names in local languages; and more often than not they are faced with a dialemna as to how to locate this plant even though the particular plant may be in his vicinity. Hence, names in different languages have been indexed for both the researchers in OE and for the forest officers, as well as for the amateurs.

India is home to hundreds of tribal communities, each with their own unique cultures, traditions and ways of life. Among these are the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), who are identified as being at risk of losing their distinct identities, livelihoods and traditional practices. This book takes an in-depth look at the PVTGs residing in the state of Jharkhand through the analytical lens of anthropology. It consists of untold stories on its indigenous people as a tribute to their reliance, wisdom and unwavering Spirit. Through a chronological exploration, the book aims to understand the pivotal role played in shaping regional identity with political historicity, livelihood practices, indigenous knowledge, dynamic interest with local life and to investigate the indigenous’ contribution. The authors evaluate current policies related to the preservation and empowerment of PVTGs. The book highlights the urgent need to protect and uplift these ancient but vulnerable communities before their irreplaceable cultures are lost forever.

This book engages with notions of self and landscape as manifest in water, forest and land via historical and current perspectives in the context of indigenous communities in India. It also brings processes of identity formation among tribes in Africa and Latin America into relief. Using interconnected historical moments and representations of being, becoming and belonging, it situates the content and complexities of Adivasi self-fashioning in contemporary times, and discusses constructions of selfhood, diaspora, homeland, environment and ecology, political structures, state, marginality, development, alienation and rights. Drawing on a range of historical sources – from recorded oral traditions and village histories to contemporary Adivasi self-narratives – the volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of modern Indian history, sociology and social anthropology, tribal and indigenous studies and politics.

This volume brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on British colonial rule in India. It draws on sociology, history, and political science to look at key events and social process, between 1757 to 1947, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the colonial history. It begins with the introductory backdrop of the British East India Company when its ship docked at Surat in 1603 and ends with the partition and independence in 1947. A compelling read, the book explores a range of key themes which include: – Early colonial polity, economic transformation, colonial educational policies, and other initial developments; – The revolt of 1857 and its aftermath; – Colonial subjectivities and ethnographic interventions, colonial capitalism and its insititutions, – Constitutional developments in colonial India; – Early nationalist politics, the rise of Indian National Congress, the role of Gandhi in nationalist politics, and the Quit India movement; – Social movements and gender politics under the colonial rule; – Partition of India and independence. Accessibly written and exhaustive, this volume will be essential reading for students, teachers, scholars, and researchers of political science, history, sociology and literature.