Tribals and Dalits in Orissa

Biswamoy Pati's fascinating book examines dimensions of the social history of tribals and dalit outcastes in Orissa. It studies the impact of colonial agrarian settlements, adivasi strategies of resistance; indigenous systems of health, the colonial 'medical gaze'; fluidities of caste formations, appropriation by princely rulers of adivasi deities and healing methods; rituals of legitimacy adopted by these rulers; the development of colonial capitalism, as well as the role of marginalized groups in the national movement.