Livelihoods and Socio-Cultural Dynamics in the Sugali Settlements of Andhra Pradesh, South India: An Anthropological Enquiry

Abstract (English)

The paper attempts to explain the livelihoods and socio-cultural dynamics of the Sugali tribe of Andhra Pradesh, South India. In the process, Sugalis experienced various social, cultural, and economic systems/influences that have altered their traditional institutions. These further provided a way to analyse and address inter-linking concepts and terms concerning traditions, which are directly or indirectly related to Sugalis. The influence of outside culture brought a major change in their societal set-up. Thus, we look at Sugalis as a community with heterogeneous characteristics, who experienced all these inter-linked and intra-linked changes in their life courses. Thus, cultural effects on them made them invent new ideas that led to a further complicated and more marginalized and underprivileged situation. The paper bases its argument on the existing sources of literature on the concepts and themes of livelihoods and how these are reflected among the tribal people of Andhra Pradesh, especially in relation to the Sugali community inhabiting the drought-prone areas of the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. The paper primarily depends on both primary and secondary sources of data. The primary data was gathered from the study community through an ethnographic method and techniques, and secondary sources of data were gathered from published and unpublished sources.