Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and The Politics of Power

Umar Khalid examines colonial statecraft, subaltern political mobilization, and the tribal life of Singhbhum. He shows how British indirect rule co-opted Manki-Munda customary governance to enforce revenue extraction, codify elite representation, and alter indigenous agrarian relations. Tracking this institutional legacy from Chota Nagpur land settlements to Fifth Schedule governance, the book shapes a critical historic framework for debates on Adivasi rights and development in India.

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Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and The Politics of Power

Kashif Hasan and Asijit Datta :

Some books invite almost anyone to enter their world. Others demand that the readers arrive with a certain degree of curiosity about the subject. Umar Khalid's Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power belongs to the second category. A reader looking for a light historical narrative or a dramatic chronological account of tribal rebellion may find parts of the book quite demanding. However, for individuals interested in Adivasi communitie...

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