"'Every Hindu knew not only that he belonged to a particular caste but also that others belonged to other castes of whose respective places in a broader scheme of things he had some idea, whether vague or stereotyped. Hardly anything corresponding to this exited in the case of those we know today as tribes. The consciousness of the distinct and separate identity of all the tribes of India taken as a whole is a modem consciousness, brought into being by the colonial state and confirmed by its successor after independence."
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André Béteille: 'Colonial construction of tribe', (column in Times of India), Chronicle of Our Time, p. 187. quoted from Elst, Koenraad (2002). Who is a Hindu?: Hindu revivalist views of Animism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and other offshoots of Hinduism. ISBN 978-8185990743
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Andre_Beteille
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Andre Beteille
Andre Beteille (30 September 1934 – 4 February 2026) was an Indian sociologist.
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