Chapter-7

UNDERSTANDING
MARGINALISATION
 OBTAINING UNABLE TO
LESS MARKS SPEAK
IF YOU DRESS IN MAINSTREAM
DIFFERENTLY EXAMINATIOS LANGUAGE IN
THE CLASS
ROOM

UNDERSTANDING
MARGINALISATION
IF YOU DON’T
PLAY THE
LESS
SAME SPORT
CHATTY
THAT MANY
IF YOUR TASTE THAN
OF YOUR
IN MUSIC OR OTHERS IN
CLASS MATES
FILMS IS THE CLASS
LIKE
DIFFERENT ROOM
What does it mean to be socially
marginalised?
❑ To be forced to occupy the sides and not be
at the centre of things.

❑ To make certain groups in society feel

marginalised due to economic, social,
cultural or political factors.

❑ Sometimes marginalised groups are viewed

with hostility and fear.
MAGINALISATION
 What does it mean to
be socially
Conclusion
marginalised
Who are Adivasis?

Muslim and UNDERSTANDING

Marginalisation MARGINALAISATION

Adivasis and
Minorities and Stereotyping
Marginalisation
Adivasis and
Development
CONCEPT-1
WHO ARE ADIVASIS?
❑ Adivasis _ The term literally means
original inhabitants_ are communities
who lived are often continue to live in
close association with forests
❑ 8% of India's population are adivasis
❑ India's most important mining and
industrial centres are located in
Adivasi areas-Jamshedpur, Rourkela,
Bokaro and Bhilai among others
❖ Adivasis are not a homogeneous population.There
are over 500 different Adivasi groups in India.
❖ Adivasis are particularly numerous in states like
Chattisgarh, Jharkhand,MadhyaPradesh, Odisha,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh,
West Bengal and in north-eastern states of
Arunachal Pradesh Manipur, Mizoram, Asom,
Meghalaya and Tripura
❖ A state like Odisha is home to more than 60 diferent
tribal groups.
❖ Adivasi societies are also most distinctive because
there often very little hierarchy among them. This
makes them radically different from communities
organised around principles of Jati-varna (caste) or
those that were ruled by kings
➢Adivasis practise a range of tribal religions that
are different from Islam, Hinduism and
Christianity.
➢These often involve the worship of ancestors,
village and nature spirits, the las associated with
and residing in various sites in the landscape
'mountain-spirits', 'river-spirits', 'animal-spirits',
etc.
➢The village spirits are often worshipped at
specific sacred groves within the village
boundary while the ancestral ones are usually
worshipped at home.

➢Additionally, Adivasis have always been

influenced by different surrounding religion like
Shakta, Buddhist, Vaishnav, Bhakti and
Christianity.
✓Simultaneously, Adivasi
religions themselves have
influenced dominant religions
of the empires around them
example, the Jagannath
culture of Odisha and Shakti
and Tantric traditions in
Bengal and Assam.
During the nineteenth
century, substantial
numbers of Adivasis
converted to Christianity,
which has emerged as a
very important religion in
modern Adivasi history.
Adivasis have their own
languages (most of them
radically Different from
and possibly as old as
Sanskrit), which have often
deeply influenced the
formation of 'mainstream'
Indian languages, like
Bengali. Santhali has the
largest number of speakers
and has a significant body
of publications including
magazines on the internet
or in e-zines
CONCEPT -2
Adivasis and Stereotyping
✓ Adivasis are invariably portrayed in very
stereotypical ways - in colourful costumes, headgear
and through their dancing.
✓ Besides this, we seem to know very little about the
realities of their lives.
✓ This often wrongly leads to people believing that
they are exotic, primitive and backward.
✓ Often Adivasis are blamed for their lack of
advancement as they are believed to be resistant to
change or new ideas.
✓ Stereotyping particular communities can lead to
people discriminating against such groups.
Adivasis and Development
▪ Metal ores like iron and copper, and gold and
silver, coal and diamonds, invaluable timber, most
medicinal herbs and animal products (wax,
lac,honey) and animals themselves (elephants, the
mainstay of imperial armies), all came from the
forests.
▪ In addition, the continuation of life depended
heavily on forests, that help recharge many of
India's rivers and, as is becoming clearer now,
crucial to the availability and quality of our
forest,air and water
▪ Often empires heavily depended on adivasis on
Adivasis for the crucial access to forest resources
• This is radically contrary to our image of Adivasis today as
somewhat marginal and powerless communities.
• In the pre-colonial world, they were traditionally ranged
hunters gatherers and nomads and lived by shifting
agriculture and also cultivating in one place.
• Although these remain, for the past 200 years Adivasis
have been increasingly forced- through economic changes,
forest policies and political force applied by the State and
private industry-to migrate to lives as workers in
plantations, at construction sites, in industries and as
domestic workers.
• For the first time in history, they do not control or have
much direct access to the forest territories.
Niyamgari Aluminium company in Odisha

Vedanta Aluminium Company

BOXITE MINING IN ADIVASI AREA

▪ Lands have been cleared for timber and to get land for agriculture and
industry. Adivasis have also lived in areas that are rich in minerals and
other natural resources.
▪ According to official figures, more than 50 per cent of persons displaced
due to mines and mining projects are tribals.
▪ Another recent survey report by organisations working among Adivasis
shows that 79 per cent of the persons displaced from the states of Andhra
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand are tribals.
▪ Huge tracts of their lands have also gone under the waters of hundreds of
dams that have been built in independent India.
▪ In the North east, their lands remain highly militarised. India has 101
national parks covering 40,564 sq. km and 543 wildlife sanctuaries
covering 1,19,776 sq. km.
▪ These are areas where tribals originally lived but were evicted from.
When they continue to stay in these forests, they are termed encroachers
▪ Losing their lands and access to the forest means
that tribals lose their main sources of livelihood
and food.. They, thus, get caught feeling a cycle
of poverty and deprivation.
▪ 45 per cent of tribal groups in rural areas and 35
per cent in urban areas live below the poverty
line.
▪ This leads to deprivation in other areas.
▪ Many tribal children are malnourished.
▪ Literacy rates among tribals are also very low.
▪ When Adivasis are displaced from their lands,
they lose much more than a source of income.
▪ They lose their traditions and customs - a way of
living and being.
▪ "They took our farming land. They left some
houses. They took the cremation ground, temple,
well and pond. How will we survive?
“ -------------says Gobindha Maran, who was
displaced due to a refinery project in Odisha.
▪ There exists an interconnectedness between the
economic and social dimensions of tribal life.
▪ Destruction in one sphere naturally impacts the
other.
▪ Often this process of dispossession and
displacement can be painful and violent
CONCEPT -3
Minorities and Marginalisation
• The Constitution provides safeguards to religious and
linguistic minorities as part our Fundamental Rights.
• The term minority is most commonly used to refer to
communities that are numerically small in relation to
the rest of the population.
• the Indian Constitution recognised that the culture of
the majority influences the way in which society an
government might express themselves. Minorities
• In such cases, size can be a disadvantage and lead to
the marginalisation of the relatively smaller
communities. Thus, safeguards are needed to protect
minority communities against the possibility of being
culturally dominated by the majority.
• Given certain conditions, communities that are small in
number relative to the rest of society may insecure
about their lives, assets and well being
✓ This sense of insecurity may get
accentuated if the relations between
the minority and majority
communities are fraught.
✓ The Constitution provides these
safeguards because it is committed
to protecting India's cultural
diversity and promoting equality as
well as justice.
✓ The judiciary plays a crucial role in
upholding the law and enforcing
Fundamental Rights.
✓ Every citizen of India can approach
the courts if they believe that their
Fundamental Rights have been
violated.
Muslims and Marginalisation
According to 2011 census, Muslims are 14.2 per
cent of India's population and are considered to be
a marginalised community in India today because
in comparison to other communities they have over
the years been deprived of the benefits of socio-
economic development.
.

1.Access to Basic Amenities,2008-2009

Religious Pucca House Electricity Tap water Which of these
community communities
Have the most
Hindu 65.4 75.2 43.7
and least access
Muslim 63.8 67.5 35.8 to basic
Christian 69.3 86.2 48.0 amenities ?
Sikh 91.3 96.0 49.3
 II. Literacy rate by Religion,2011 (percentage)
All Hindus Muslims Christians Sikhs Buddhists Jains

74 63 57 74 67 71 86

Which of these communities have the highest and the lowest literacy rates?

III.Public Employment of Muslims (percentage)

Population IAS IPS IFS Central Public Sector Unit (PSU) State PSU Banks
and RBI
13.5 3 4 1.8 3.3 10.8 2.2

What do these figures convey?

❖ The government set up a high-level
committee in 2005. Chaired by Justice
Rajindar Sachar, the committee examined
the social, economic and educational
status of the Muslim community in India.
❖ It suggests that on a range of social,
economic and educational indicators the
situation of the Muslim community is
comparable to that of other marginalised
communities like Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes.
❖ For example, according to the Report the
average years of schooling for Muslim
children between the ages of 7-16 is much
lower than that of other socio-religious
communities.
Sachar committee repot
➢ Economic and social marginalisation
experienced by Muslims has other
dimensions as well. Like other
minorities, Muslim customs and
practices are sometimes quite distinct
from what is seen as the mainstream.
➢ Read the data related schooling
provided by Sachar Committee Report
➢ 25 percent of Muslim children in the
6-14 year age group have either never
been enrolled in school or have
dropped out.
➢ percentage is much higher that of any
other socio-religious community.
➢ Do you think special measures are
required to address this situation?
• Muslim customs and practices are sometimes
quite distinct from what is seen as the
mainstream.
• Some - not all - Muslims may wear a burqa,
sport a long beard, wear a fez, and these
become ways to identify all Muslims.
• Because of this, they tend to be identified
differently and some people think they are
not like the rest of us.
• Often this becomes an excuse to treat them
unfairly, and discriminate against them.
• This social marginalisation of Muslims in
some instances has led to them migrating
from places where they have lived, often
leading to the ghettoisation of the
community.
• Sometimes, this prejudice leads to hatred and
violence.
❖ The experiences of all these groups
point to the fact that marginalisation
is a complex phenomenon requiring
a variety of strategies, measures and
safeguards to redress this situation.
❖ All of us have a stake in protecting
the rights defined in the
Constitution and the laws and
policies framed to realise these
rights.
❖ Without these, we will never be able
to protect the diversity that makes
our country unique nor realise the
State's commitment to promote
equality for all.
I live in a Muslim-dominated area. Some days back during
Ramzan there was some disturbance that started taking a
communal outlook. My brother and I had gone for an Iftar
party in the neighbourhood and were dressed in traditional
clothes, that is sherwani and salwar kameez respectively.
On returning home, my brother and I were asked to
change our clothes to jeans and T-shirt.

Now when everything is fine I wonder what was the

reason that we were asked to change our clothes and why I
didn't find it odd. Were our clothes giving away our
identity and is that identity linked to all kinds of fears and
discrimination?

Ainee A. Farooqi
Identify the capital cities of the given
states
of India map Bhopal Ranchi
➢ Chhattisgarh (MADHYA PRADESH) JHARKHAND
➢ Jharkhand
➢ Madhya Pradesh
➢ Maharashtra
➢ GUJARAT

Gandhi Nagar
GUJARAT
Raipur
(CHHATTISGARH)
Mumbai
MAHARASHTRA
❖ In this chapter, we have tried to understand what it means to be a
marginalised community, We have tried to look at this through the
experiences of different marginalised communities.
❖ There are different, reasons for each of these communities being
marginalised.
❖ Each experiences marginalisation in different ways We have also
seen that marginalisation is linked to experiencing disadvantage,
prejudice and powerlessness.
❖ In India there are several more marginalised communities, like Dalits,
of whom you will read more in the next chapter.
❖ Marginalisation results in having a low social status and not having
equal access to education and other resources..
❖ Yet, the lives of marginalised people can and do change. Thus, no
one is marginalised all the time in exactly the same way.
❖ If we go back to the two examples of marginalisation we have
discussed, we will see that each of these groups has a long history of
struggle and resistance.
❖ Marginalised communities want to maintain their cultural
distinctiveness while having access to rights, development and other
opportunities.
❖ In the next chapter, we will read about how different groups have
confronted marginalisation
1. Write in your own words two or more sentences of what you understand by the word
marginalisation’ .
Answer : A social process of being confined to lower social standing is marginalisation.
It involves people being denied their fundamental rights that result in lowering their social and
economical status.
It is a situation when a particular social group is forced to live on the fringes rather than in
the mainstream. A marginalized section of the society does not get proper opportunity of socio-
economic development
2. the two reasons why Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalised.
Answer: Adivasis are being increasingly marginalised for the following two reasons:
1. Changes in forest laws have deprived the Adivasis from access to forest produce.
2. Construction of factories and other projects in tribal areas has forced many tribal people to
migrate to other places in search of livelihood
3.Write one reason why you think the Constitution's safeguards to protect minority communites
are very important?
Answer :The safeguards to protect minority communities are necessary because the majority
community may culturally dominate the minority communities and minority community may
become Marginalised
4.Re-read the section on Minorities and Marginalisation. What do you understand by the term
minority?
Answer: Minority is the community that is numerically small in relation to the rest of the
population.
A particular religious section which has a low percentage in population compared to the major
religious community is called minority.
The constitution of India provides safeguards to linguistics and religious minorities as a part of
its fundamental rights and ensures that minorities do not face any disadvantage or discriminated.
In India; Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, etc. are included in the minority.
5.You are participating in a debate where you have to provide reasons to support the following
statement: Muslims are a marginalised community. Using the data provided in this chapter, list
two reasons that you would give
Answer :As per the data provided in the chapter, the literacy rate of muslim population in India is
only 59% which is the lowest compared to 65% among Hindus, 70% among Sikhs, 73% among
Buddhists, 80% among Christians, and 94% among Jains.Also, only 3% of muslim represent the
esteemed Indian Administrative Service Cadre.
The above stats support that muslims are a marginalised community in India.
6. Imagine that you are watching the Republic Day parade on TV with a friend and she remarks,
"Look at these tribals. They look so exotic. And they seem to be dancing all the time", List that
things that you would tell her about the lives of Adivasis in India.
Answer :Adivasis have deep knowledge of forests, they were hunter and gatherers and lived
like nomads. They practised shifting agriculture and also cultivated in one place. Their deep
knowledge of
forest made them indispensable to the rulers of various empires during the pre-colonial period in
India.
They have their own language and have influenced the formation of various Indian languages,
Bengali being one of them
7. In the storyboard you mad about how Helen hopes to make a movie on the Adivasi
story, Can you help her by developing a short story on Adivasis?
Answer:
Students have to do this by themselves.{I want to help Helen make a movie on the
adivasis}
8. Would you agree with the statement that economic marginalisation and social
marginalisation Interlinked? Why?
Answer:
Social marginalisation and economic marginalisation are interlinked because Social
marginalization forces a social group out of the mainstream resulting in lack of
opportunities for skill development and education. This means that the people from
marginalized sections will not have proper access to quality healthcare, which in turn
means that a child from the marginalized section does not develop into an adult who
otherwise is capable enough to ensure better income. Thus, the
individual who is left behind in socio-economic development becomes economically
marginalized.
 Explain at least three different reasons why groups may be marginalised?
Answer :
Their marginalization can be because they speak a different language, follow
different customs or belong to a different religious group from the majority
community. They may also feel marginalized because they are poor, considered to
be of low social status and viewed as being less human than others
Why was Dadu forced to leave his village in Odisha?
Answer:
Dadu was forced to leave his village in Odisha because
he was told by forest officials and contractors that the forest was not theirs.
These officials and contractors cut down a large part of it. Then they beat and
threatened Dadu till eventually he was forced to sell and abandon the land of his
forefathers
QUIZ ROUND -1
1.Which tribal language has a significant body of
publications like online magazines?

a. Santhali

b. Mundali

c. Savara

d. Nicobarese
Answer
a. Santhali
2.What does it mean for a tribal population to lose their
land?
a. they lose their source of recreation
b. they lose their source of livelihood completely
c. it does not mean much
d. they feel emotional
Answer
b. they lose their source of livelihood completely
3.The domination of a numerically larger group over numerically
smaller group often leads to
a Migration
b. Displacement
c. Marginalisation
d. Transportation
Answer
c. Marginalisation
4.--------------------is a source of marginalisation

a. brotherhood

b. domination

c. love

d. Hatred
Answer
b. domination
5.India has _________wildlife sanctuaries.

a. 103

b. 104

c. 543

d. 643
Answer
c. 543
6.Which of the following is not a reason behind
evacuation of Adivasi people from their forests?

a. State policies

b. . Self determined evacuation

C. Political force

d. Economic changes
Answer .
b. Self determined evacuation
7.Which of the following languages has been deeply
influenced by Adivasi languages?

a. Bengali

b. Tamil

c. Odia

d. Sanskrit
Answer
a.Bengali
8.Which of the following is a result of Adivasi influence
on mainstream religion?

a. Roshania movement

b. Varkari sect

c. Qadri a Silsila

d. Jagannath cult
Answer
d.Jagannath cult
9.What does the term "minority" refer to

a numerically lesser.

b. Influentially lesser

c. minors or children below 18 years

d. powerfully lesser
Answer
a. numerically lesser
10.Shakti and Tantric traditions can be witnessed in and

a. Nagaland, Assam

b. Manipur, Mizoram

c. Bengal, Assam

d. Bengal, Nagaland
Answer
c.Bengal, Assam
QUIZ ROUND 2
1.________% of tribal groups live below the
poverty line in urban areas and_________% in
rural areas
a. 45,35
b. 40,30
c. 65, 35
d. 35,45
Answer
d.35,45
2.Which state of India has the highest tribal
population?

a. Madhya Pradesh

b. Mizoram

c. Assam

d. Jharkhand
Answer
a.Madhya Pradesh
3.Which of the following factors is not a
criterion to define the minority status of a
community?
a. Access to basic amenities
b. Literacy rate
c. Access to entertainment
d.Public employment
Answer
c.Access to entertainment
4.Which of the following is not numerically a
marginalised community in India?

a. Muslims
b. Hindus
c. Sikhs
d. Scheduled Castes
Answer
b.Hindus
5.Who plays a crucial role in protecting
Fundamental Rights and upholding the law?

a.The Parlament
b.The Judiciary
c.The State Assemblies
d.The Executive
Answer
b.The Judiciary
6.Many tribal children are

a. Rich

b. Healthy

c. Malnourished

d. Active
Answer
c.Malnourished
7.Which tribal language has a significant body
of publications like online magazines?

a Nicobarese

b. Santhali

c. Mundali

d. Savara
Answer
b.Santhali
8.Tribal people worship their village spirits

a their homes
b. particular temples
c outside village boundaries.
d.within village boundaries
Answer
d.within village boundaries
9.Marginalisation breeds_____________
a. Peace
b. Hatred
c.Unity
d. Violence
Answer
b.Hatred
10.Adivasis depend heavily on for their livelihood.
a. Mainstream society
b. Government
c. Nature
d. Empire
Answer
c.Nature
QUIZ ROUND 3
1.The evacuation of native residents from their
homeland to another place is called

a. Movement

b. Displacement

c. Marginalisation

d. Migration
Answer
b. Displacement
2.Which of the following languages has been
deeply influenced by Adivasi languages?

a Bengali.

b. Sanskrit

c. Odia

d. Tamil
Answer
a. Bengali
3.What does the term "Adivasi" literally mean?

a. Forest dwellers

b. Hunter-gatherers

c Original inhabitants.

d. Tribal people
Answer
c. Original inhabitants
4.Adivasis comprise________ % of India's total
population.

a. 15
b. 14

c. 6

d. 8
Answer
d. 8
5.Which of the following is not originally an Adivasi
religion?

a. Zoroastrianism

b. Islam

c Hinduism.

d. None of the above

Answer
d. None of the above
6.Which of the following factors is not a criterion to define the minority status
of a community?

a. Public employment

b. Access to basic amenities

c. Access to entertainment

d. Literacy rate
Answer
c. Access to entertainment
7.In the 19th century, India witnessed mass
conversions of tribal people to______

a. Christianity

b. Hinduism

c. Buddhism

d. Islam
Answer
a.Christianity
8.Tribal people worship their village spirits

a their homes

b.within village boundaries

c. particular temples

d. outside village boundaries

Answer
b. within village boundaries
9Tribal lands remain highly militarised in the _ region of India.

a. Northern

b. North Eastern

c. Southern

d. South Western

Answer
b. North Eastern
10.How many different Adivasi groups exist in India approximately?

a. 1000

b. 1500

c. 100

d. 500
Answer
d. 500
Prepared by:

K.KHASIM JEE
S.A.(Social Studies)
Z P High School, Mugathi
(village)
Nandavaram (Mandal)
Kurnool (District)