ABSTRACT
The articulation of dalit and adivasi political identities in the postNehruvian era has posed challenges for both the theory and the political practice of the Indian communist movement. The social basis of these identities is formed by marginalized groups who constitute a large part of the rural and urban working classes that need to be mobilized to fi ght the current neoliberal challenges. From the point of view of a united class struggle of peasants and workers, the dominant discourse has interpreted the development of such identity politics as the conspiracy of the ruling classes In the current context, it has also been argued that such politics only divides the basic classes and is used by the neoliberal state for curbing resistance and quelling the opposition to capitalism. In this sense, all identity politics is a creation of capitalism and also reproduces itself to serve the ends of the ruling classes (Karat 2011). While this understanding may be partially able to explain the current political realities, it is unable to fully grasp the complexity of the problem of the formation and historical development of tribal and adivasi identities. A long view of the history of politics of adivasi identity shows that different stages of capitalism will yield diverse forms of hegemonic and counter-hegemonic processes and multiple articulations of identities.
