Paradox of Tribal Integration Amidst Resistance: A Study of Bakarwals in Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

The article examines how the Bakarwal, a Scheduled Tribe in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has survived the double paradox of being both a marginalised community and the inhabitants of a sensitive border region. Traditionally, the Bakarwals are transhumance pastoralists and have had limited access to education, healthcare and other basic amenities. While government interventions represent a pivotal transition in their day-to-day lives, they are vulnerable to exploitation by influential proprietors and vested interests, perpetuating a complex web of social dynamics. The article argues that a stark disconnect exists between the policies projected by the government and the ground-level realities faced by the Bakarwals. Adopting the theoretical framework on everyday resistance, the article explicates the Bakarwals’ ambivalence about state-led development initiatives intended to facilitate their transition from transhumance nomadism to sedentism.