History 239EN - Topics in Asian History: 'Empire, Nation, and the Making of Tribes in South Asia'

This course will explore the history of colonial and post-colonial encounters with various 'tribal' communities in South Asia. In colonial and post-colonial settings, the tribe has served as a category for military surveillance and pacification, legal regulation, economic development, and political resistance. Drawing mainly on examples from South Asia and engaging theoretical frames from the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Canada, we will consider how colonial and post-colonial governments, missionaries, and tribal populations themselves have invoked tribe. Readings for the course will include scholarly monographs and articles, ethnographic accounts, and missionary records.