About the Conference
Indigenous and tribal communities today stand at the crossroads of history. On the one hand, they bear the heaviest burdens of displacement, ecological loss, cultural erasure, and political marginalisation. On the other, they carry with them resilient knowledge systems, community structures, and alternative visions of justice that offer the world fresh ways of thinking about democracy, environment, and human dignity.
Conventional academia has often failed to capture this dual reality. Legal studies tend to remain confined to statutes and judgments; social sciences often abstract lived experiences into theories; and public policy debates are dominated by technocratic voices that rarely listen to the communities themselves. The result is a fragmented understanding of Indigenous lives; when what is needed is a holistic, interdisciplinary conversation.
This conference is an attempt to rethink tribal justice by breaking disciplinary silos. We invite scholars of law, sociology, anthropology, political science, environmental studies, history, women’s studies, and cultural studies to place their perspectives in dialogue. Here, customary laws will be read alongside constitutional promises, oral traditions alongside human rights standards, and ecological ethics alongside development policies.
Themes & Sub themes
- Law, Rights, and Justice
Customary law and state legal systems: conflicts and convergence
International law, human rights, and Indigenous peoples (UNDRIP, ILO conventions)
Restorative and community-based justice models
- Culture, Identity, and Lived Experience
Cultural resilience, language preservation, and identity politics
Gender roles, intersectionality, and agency in tribal societies
Oral traditions, performance, and Indigenous knowledge systems
Media and representation of Indigenous communities
- Human Rights and Public Policy
Health, education, and social protection in tribal regions
Governance, decentralisation, and participatory democracy
Witch-hunting, displacement, and other forms of structural violence
- Climate, Ecology, and Sustainability
Indigenous ecological knowledge and climate adaptation
Tribal cosmologies and environmental ethics
Just transitions: extractive economies, energy, and climate justice
- Development, Economy, and Globalisation
Development-induced displacement and rehabilitation challenges
Mining, infrastructure, and corporate interventions
Tribal economies, sustainable livelihoods, and social entrepreneurship
Technology, digitalisation, and the transformation of Indigenous life
- Comparative and Global Dialogues
Comparative legal systems on Indigenous rights
South–South exchanges: Latin America, Africa, South Asia
Cross-continental student perspectives on Indigenous struggles
Building transnational solidarity among Indigenous communities
Abstract Submission Guidelines
- Research Papers → Abstract (250–300 words) (inclusive of 4 keywords)
- Policy Briefs → Executive Summary (150–200 words)
- Community Case Studies → Abstract (150–200 words)
- Ethnographic Notes → Context Note (100–150 words)
For abstract: must be accompanied by a brief bio-note (in 100 words) of the author indicating his/her email ID, contact number, designation, and official address. All submissions must include:
- Author’s full name
- Institutional affiliation
- Contact email
- Short bio (100 words)
The abstract should be in the following format:
- Times New Roman, Font Size 12 & Line spacing 1.5, Justified.
- 1-inch margins on all the four sides.
- Submissions are to be made in MS Word format only.
The abstract must identify a research problem clearly to be discussed by the author in the full paper, and the particular theme of the conference associated with the paper.
Who can Submit?
- Academicians, Postgraduate and Undergraduate students from law, social sciences, humanities, environmental studies, and related disciplines.
- First-generation scholars and tribal/Indigenous students are especially encouraged to participate.
- Young researchers and interdisciplinary scholars working on issues related to law, rights, justice, culture, ecology, and Indigenous futures.
- Students interested in presenting research papers, policy briefs, community case studies, or ethnographic notes within the conference themes.
How to Submit?
Interested candidates can submit abstract via the link given at the end of the post.
Fee
- For International Professionals and Academicians: 30 USD
- Academicians and Professionals: INR 1000
- Research Scholars: INR 750
- Students: INR 500
Contact
For further queries and information, please contact:
Email Id: conftrib@hnlu.ac.in
Contact No.: 7587017829
