2. From Millenarianism to Jharkhand: The Changing Nature of Social Movements in Tribal Chotanagpur

Publisher： Brill

ISSN： 0021-9096

Source： Journal of Asian and African Studies, Vol.21, Iss.3-4, 1986-01, pp. : 226-236

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

The genesis, growth and nature of a social movement is directly conditioned and regulated by the structure of the movement-bearing society. Particularly, the contemporary communal ethos and the ideological motivation of the leadership determine the direction of the movement. History reveals that there was a neat shift from religious to political movements in tribal Chotanagpur within a relatively short span of time, the objectives remaining alsmost the same. It is, therefore, suggested that the Hindu encapsulated and Christian influenced tribal societies during the British period, and the emergence of political awakening along with the Indian National Movement, might have been responsible for changing the tribal social structure, leadership pattern and eventually, changing the direction of the movement from religious to political.