Drawing from the empirical study conducted in Darjeeling, this article discusses the recent demands made by different ethnic groups and their associations for recognition as scheduled tribes (STs) in India. The article explores the historical process through which identities were constituted in Darjeeling and also examines their transformation in subsequent years. The article discusses the discursive strategies adopted by ethnic associations to frame their identities as primitive tribal and indigenous group of the Darjeeling in contemporary time. It highlights how such demands by ethnic groups indicate a growing concern for political empowerment and a perennial quest to reaffirm their belongingness to the nation state.
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