Understanding the social identity of adolescents in the Indigenous Kodava Community of India

Abstract

The social identity development of adolescents in marginalized communities across the globe holds paramount significance in determining the overall well-being of its future population. Focusing on one such community, the Kodavas, an Indigenous community in South India, this study aims to understand the shifting configurations of social identity based on the changing sociocultural structure and its implications on identity perception among the adolescents belonging to the Kodava community in Kodagu district in Karnataka, India. This study used a qualitative research design to develop an analytical framework of social identity formation and its transitions in the context of the Kodavas. Data were collected from 188 adolescents (47% boys, 53% girls) between 13 and 17 years (M _age = 15 years), in the form of essay writing. The findings based on thematic analysis highlight the core traditional elements of Kodava identity, factors influencing the transition in identity, and its reflection in the contemporary period.