Human Safaris: A Foucauldian Alternative to the Law's Treatment of the Indigenous Andaman Jarawa

In early 2012 international news media released a series of videos showing 'human safaris' in India's Andaman Islands in which tourists and tourism operators enticed members of the Indigenous Jarawa people to dance in exchange for food. The videos incited international furore over what appeared to be an act of exploitation that treated the Jarawa as exhibits for tourist amusement and led to allegations that the 'human safaris' constituted violations of international human rights law as well as India's own laws regarding the treatment of Indigenous peoples. The resulting outcry resulted in calls for the Indian state to take action to rectify the plight of the Jarawa in 'human safaris.' Such calls, however, require determination of antecedent questions regarding: 1) what aspects of the tourists' relations with the Jarawa are problematic; and 2) what state actions are preferable in addressing such problems. These questions are of a normative nature in that they involve issues about what constitutes 'appropriate' interactions between tourists and the Jarawa that direct what the government's policies and laws should be seeking in its treatment of India's Indigenous peoples. This suggests that the Indian state can find guidance in formulating a response to the issue of 'human safaris' by a consideration of the normative aspects of the issues involving tourist relations with the Jarawa.