Introduction

Modernisation theory generally assumes that modernity found its highest development in the Western world, a model that the rest of the world was to follow sooner or later. Andre Beteille argues in his study of a Tanjore village that caste, class and power got increasingly detached from each other, allowing for greater social mobility as modernity opened up new avenues that did not exist before: geographical mobility, new occupations and electoral politics. In contrast to “mainland” India, the consequences of colonial and post-colonial modernity have been much less the focus of empirical studies in North-East India, especially in the tribal dominated areas. North-East India has mainly remained outside the purview of mainstream sociology in India and usually does not appear in collections that claim to represent studies on various aspects of Indian society. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.