8th Social Science – Social & Political – Chapter 5

To be socially marginalised is to be forced to occupy the sides or fringes, away from the center of things, leading to exclusion and lack of acceptance by the majority.

Groups may be marginalised due to factors such as speaking a different language, following different customs, belonging to a different religious group, being poor, considered of 'low' social status, or viewed as less human than others.

Dadu was forced to leave his village in Odisha because forest officials and contractors cut down parts of the forest, leading to pressure to sell their land for mining iron ore, ultimately forcing them to abandon their land and way of living.

Adivasis are communities considered the 'original inhabitants' who live in close association with forests. They are not a homogeneous population, with over 500 different Adivasi groups in India, comprising around 8% of the country's population.

Adivasi societies are considered distinctive due to their lack of hierarchy, making them different from many other communities and allowing for a more egalitarian social structure among them.