Q: Define ethnicity . Discuss the factors responsible for the growth of ethnic movements in India.

Model Answer:

What is Ethnicity ? & its Significance

Sociologically, Ethnicity transcends mere cultural categorization. Clifford Geertz offers a Primordialist Approach, viewing ethnicity as rooted in deeply embedded biological and cultural “givens” like language and kinship. Conversely, Paul Brass’s Instrumentalist Approach argues ethnicity is constructed by elites to mobilize masses for political and economic resources. In India, Dipankar Gupta notes that ethnic movements are inherently territorial (tied to language or tribe), distinguishing them from non-territorial religious communalism.

Factors Driving Ethnic Movements

• Relative Deprivation & Internal Colonialism: Using Ted Gurr’s concept of Relative Deprivation, ethnic groups mobilize when they feel economically marginalized compared to others. Movements like Bodoland highlight perceived internal colonialism, where the core exploits the periphery.
• Nativism and “Sons of the Soil”: Myron Weiner highlights how migration induces demographic anxiety and competition over scarce jobs, sparking nativist mobilization, as seen in the Assam Movement against ‘outsiders’.
• Tribal Alienation: Analyzing tribal belts, Virginius Xaxa emphasizes that ethnic assertions (e.g., the Jharkhand movement) are reactions against the influx of outsiders (Dikus) and systemic alienation from traditional land and culture.
• Elite Manipulation: As Paul Brass posits, ethnic conflicts often stem from elite competition for state resources, institutionalizing ethnic identities for vote-bank politics.

The ongoing demand for Gorkhaland exemplifies the fusion of Primordial linguistic identity and Instrumentalist grievances over economic neglect. While early nation-builders viewed such movements as threats, Rajni Kothari interprets them as a Democratic Awakening. Marginalized groups are actively utilizing democratic platforms to negotiate their rightful share of resources.

Conclusion

Managing ethnic assertions requires shifting from an assimilationist “melting pot” to a pluralistic “salad bowl” model, as advocated by T.K. Oommen. The Indian state’s constitutional mechanism of Asymmetrical Federalism (e.g., 5th/6th Schedules, Article 371) remains the most viable sociological tool to accommodate diverse ethnic identities while ensuring sustainable national integration.