ABSTRACT
This chapter, titled ‘Presence of the Absent’, is an introduction to the issues concerning the tribes in Punjab that had been living in the state of Punjab for the last many centuries but suddenly declared absent. Ibbetson and Rose’s Glossary (1883) and later Birinder Pal Singh’s ‘Criminal’ Tribes of Punjab (2010) have shown their presence beyond doubt. The study of intergenerational occupational change is also proving their presence. These people have been classified as the Scheduled Castes, a status they are contesting vehemently and are demanding to be called the Scheduled Tribes. The universe of the field study is Punjab. The 763 respondents make a fairly large sample given their homogeneity.
