Crisis of the Old-New Social Movement Dichotomy: The Political Ecology of Tribal Resistance Movements in Odisha

The binary distinction between "old" and "new" social movements has profoundly shaped the global theories on collective action. Rooted in the European industrial and post-industrial experience, this categorization distinguishes between class-based, economically motivated movements of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries ("old") and identity-oriented, cultural movements of the post-1960s era ("new"). Yet, in the Indian context- especially regarding tribal movements- this classification proves both conceptually and empirically inadequate. This paper explores the theoretical emergence of the old/new distinction in Europe, its adaptation into Indian social movement studies, and its critique by Indian scholars such as K. Suresh Singh, Rajendra Singh, Ghanshyam Shah, and Virginius Xaxa. Through case studies of the tribal movements of Odisha: Gandhamardan Movement, Kalinga Nagar Movement, Niyamgiri movement, and Pathalgadi movement, the paper demonstrates that Indian collective actions integrate economic, cultural, ecological, and political dimensions simultaneously. The paper iterates that Indian movements? hybridity renders the old/new dichotomy analytically redundant, urging instead a multidimensional, context-sensitive framework. The paper concludes that studies on tribal mobilisations of India demand a decolonial rethinking of social movement theory and construct a paradigm that recognizes the unique synthesis of ecological justice, cultural survival, and ontological resistance.