Topic- Human Rights, Anthropology and Dhankut: An Appraisal

Topic- Human Rights, Anthropology and Dhankut: An Appraisal
DR. ALOK CHANTIA
Lecturer (Anthropology)
Sri JNPG (KKC) College
Lucknow-1
E-mail: alokchantia@rediffmail.com
Keywords-Human rights, Culture, Deprivation , Dhankut
Abstract
Culture itself provides rights to its people by the process of marriage, family, property
inheritance, political organization and kinship etc but culture bears its own limit which
again generates the process of cultural relativism and ultimately we find intercultural
space in the form of human rights. Human rights are a phenomenon which advocates all
other possibilities not framed in culture. Human rights can not be sketched globally,
unless we consider every culture because functions of an institution may be varied from
one culture to another. In that respect human rights makes an atmosphere of pluralism,
where we find the function of institution of a culture which protects the right of an
individual or of a group. In this regard human right should be analyzed under holistic
approach and structural functionalism.
Dhankut is an endogamous group living in Dhankuttypura of District Bahraich of Uttar
Pradesh with a population of 2687 (according to 2001 Census). They are neither
categorized as ST/SC/OBC nor come within the four folded caste system of India. They
call themselves of General category but have characteristics of tribal people. At present
they are facing identity crisis. It is an occupational group who was engaged in barter
system since 1970.Presently they are engaged in 23 categories of occupations. Their main
income comes from the selling of cow dung cakes.
Dhankut are trying hard to survive within their own cultural limits Their living at single
place, small population, and cross cousin marriage attracts academicians to study human
rights in cultural context. In fact Dhankut present a real picture to understand human
rights anthropologically. The present paper aims to study anthropology of human rights
in cultural context of Dhankut.