Author Description

The Santals of Mayurbhanj District in Orissa, one of the largest tribal communities in India, embrace a proud and traditional society with unique value systems, social hierarchies, and a strong sense of identity. Currently, the Santals, torn between tradition and modernity, are trying toforge a new identity and evolve new attitudes toward individual and community, illness, medicine and witchcraft, politics, and religion. Based on extensive field research, this insightful anthropological study closely detrmines what happens to a traditional society exposed to forces of rapidmodernization.