Unveiling the World of the Nomadic and Denotified Tribes in India

31 August 2021 marks the 69th year of the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. This act was the most draconian law passed by the British colonial state, under which millions of nomadic and semi-nomadic communities were declared criminals and put under continuous surveillance, making their lives impossible. 31 August is celebrated as Vimukta Jatis day in India by the de-notified tribal communities. The articles in this series delineate diverse socio-economic, political and cultural issues of NT and DNT communities. However, a thread that connects all these articles is their focus on the criminal stigma attached to these communities. Although the NTs and DNTs constitute a large proportion of the population of the country, they have not received much scholarly attention. The contributors to this series are young scholars and activists; some of whom come from first-generation educated families of NT and the DNT communities. This series represents both insider and outsider voices on the subject. Authors have investigated several issues faced by NTs and DNTs using archival and secondary sources and field studies, despite restrictions and hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

EPW Engage would like to thank Bhangya Bhukya and Sujatha Surepally for their work on this series despite stringent timelines and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.