Exploring the Lived Experiences to Induct the Self Schema of Adivasi High School Students in West Bengal Developing a Grounded Theory

Abstract

Scheduled Tribes (ST) constitute 84,326,240 (8.2%) of the Indian population (Census, 2011: Schedule Castes and Tribes) and belong to over 645 varying demographic communities (Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 2016). They had been named through the centuries by varying names such as tribes, Adivasis, autochthons, aboriginals by non-tribals, until the Constitution of India officially designated them as Scheduled Tribes. However, many of them would like to be known as Adivasis, meaning original inhabitants following the decision of the Adivasi Mahasabha in 1938 (Rana, 1992). Through the Vedic to the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial years, STs were one of the most displaced, discriminated, deprived, exploited, and stigmatised people of India. Despite the positive discrimination policies and welfare measures of the governments, many of the them are still at the bottom rung of Indian society. School dropout and school disengagement, alcohol abuse, and psychological disabilities are highly prevalent among the adolescents of the Adivasi communities of West Bengal, where the present study is located. In the context of these circumstances, this researcher raised the following questions: What are the lived experiences of Adivasi adolescents? What meanings do they give to their experiences? What are the self-self-schemata that entrap them into a vicious cycle of the shackles they want to free themselves? The objectives of the present research are: to explore the lived experiences of Adivasi adolescents within their social and historical context; to analyse these experiences and deduce the meaning they give to these experiences; and from these to induct their self-schemata.