Contours of Hope: Indigenous Identity, Resistance, and Assimilation Under Hindu Nationalism in India

Hope, as a sociological concept, spans political principles, social practices, and emotions, often linked to revolutions, utopias, and resistance. This paper explores the sociology of hope within Adivasi (Indigenous) communities in Jharkhand, India, examining how hope functions as a tool of resistance and adaptation in their interaction with rising Hindutva politics. Drawing from seminal works such as Bloch's The Principle of Hope (1986) and Fromm's The Revolution of Hope (1968), the study highlights how Adivasis navigate political marginalisation by employing hope both as a form of agency and a strategic means of negotiating their cultural and political futures. Through ethnographic research in two Adivasi localities in Ranchi, this paper examines contrasting responses: one community uses hope to resist assimilation pressures, holding onto its cultural and religious distinctiveness, while the other sees hope as a way to engage with Hindutva politics to secure access to state resources and political legitimacy. Situating these practices within broader frameworks of social theory and the sociology of emotions, the study reveals how these communities actively reshape their identities and political strategies through hopeful resistance and adaptation. Hope, as explored in this context, transcends mere optimism, functioning as a dynamic process of negotiation with power, highlighting the complex interplay of identity, autonomy, and political agency. This paper contributes to ongoing discussions on the transformative role of hope in postcolonial societies, where marginalised groups like the Adivasis not only resist external pressures but also actively shape their futures through strategic engagement with state power and dominant political ideologies like Hindutva. In doing so, the study offers critical insights into how hope becomes a site for social transformation, as these communities navigate and contest broader forces of cultural assimilation and political domination.