Tribal Cultural Change Under Migratory Conditions: A Sociological Analysis

This research paper presents a detailed analysis of the social, economic, cultural and linguistic transformation of migrant tribal workers employed in India's unorganized brick-kiln industry. Seasonal migration caused by displacement from forest land and the crisis of traditional livelihoods uproots tribal communities from their self-reliant, nature-centred way of life and pushes them into a contractual and highly exploitative labour environment. Based on secondary data from NSSO, ILO, the e-Shram Portal and Census 2011, the study examines the erosion of tribal languages, decline of traditional religious beliefs and fragmentation of family relations through the sociological perspectives of M. N. Srinivas's concepts of Sanskritization and acculturation and Karl Marx's theory of alienation. The paper also critically reviews the provisions of the Code on Social Security, 2020 and its administrative limitations. Finally, it underlines the urgent need to protect the cultural identity and basic rights of migrant tribal workers and to develop effective social-security policies for them.