Tribal Women In A Changing Society

Tribal Women in a Changing Society is a pioneering study of a neglected aspect of tribal life: the status of women in Bhil society. It is a welcome contribution to a field of tribal studies on which sociological literature is lamentably scarce. The study examines the status of Bhil women within the ideological as well as the actual frame of native social structure and evaluates the parameters of change taking place therein. It also surveys the areas of compatibility and incompatibility in the persisting and changing paradigm. Despite of adverse effect of culture contact with the caste Hindus and the process of Sanskritisation, the traditional norms of Bhil society continue to be the chief determinant of social status among Bhil women. The appalling poverty among the Bhils forces the women into involvement in various traditional economic pursuits, denying them the opportunities to benefit from the programmes introduced of late to ameliorate their condition. It also engenders a pessimistic disposition which includes apthy towards betterment and progress.