Debating Dussehra and reinterpreting rebellion in Bastar district, CentralIndia

This article unpacks the history of a 'tribal' region in Central India to s how that the current appearance of 'two-dimensionality' or stark opposition between the people and the state is a product of colonial and post-colonia l policies rather than a pre-colonial relic. It challenges the idea of 'coe rcive subordination' as an adequate explanation for kingship in this area, as argued by the late Alfred Gell. Instead, this article uses the same phen omena, annual Dussehra rituals and successive rebellions, to argue for a mo re dialectical concept of hegemony. It also takes issue with culturalist in terpretations of rule, arguing instead for a historically nuanced political economy.