Tribes in perspective: encyclopaedia in scheduled tribes,scheduled castes & disadvantaged peoples-1

Tribes in Perspective is the first volume of the series that Prof. Roy Burman is preparing on the Scheduled Tribes of India to be followed by two more series one on the Scheduled Castes and the other on the other Disadvantaged Peoples of India.
In the late 50s, Prof. Roy Burman in his writings took a position that the social formation, tribe, should not be equated with the concept of primitive'. He presented the view that the self-image of the tribes is that of being 'different from the neighbours, but not necessarily at a less advantaged stage of social organisation. He also projected some of the positive aspects of tribal social formation. Later in a UNESCO publication on ethnic relations in Asia and Pacific he further elaborated his ideas on this line.
In recent decades many social scientists have also been projecting the view that tribal social formations need not always be held to represent a stage in the evolutionary scheme of human social organisation. These represent a way of life, primarily based on moral bindings and reciprocity among the members, rather than being made to behave by the coercive power of the state.