Towards a Theory of Tribal Social Work: Some Reflections on its Methodological Foundation

Abstract

This paper engages with the theoretical evolution of Tribal Social Work in India, and attempts to provide a conceptual overview of some key constitutive elements of its methodological foundation. It uses the historical approach to trace the politico historical processes beginning 1935 and lays a framework that brings to bear significant processes that went into shaping meanings of categories and frames of reference vis-à-vis tribes. While unraveling varied processes surrounding the tribal debate in India from a critical perspective, the article posits a theoretico-methodological outline of tribal social work sourced from the author’s own experiences. This is done with the intention of advancing the theory of tribal social work within the Indian context and thus deepening and enriching social work discipline further.