Memories of Trust Broken: Representation, Fragmentation, and the Cultural Politics of Environmental Activism in India

The UBC Department of Anthropology is pleased to present the 2015-2016 Anthropology Colloquia:  
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Memories of Trust Broken: Representation, Fragmentation, and the Cultural Politics of Environmental Activism in India

Social movements are often framed as cohesive entities. This is particularly true in several representations of Indian social movements. Arguing for investigations of movement frictions and factions, this discussion examines critical issues of distrust in social movements as a means to better understand struggles for social and environmental change. Highlighted in the talk is the case of an Indian dam opposition movement. Also drawn upon are the past movements that are remembered in contemporary dam opposition campaigns for their lack of equitable inclusion, particularly in terms of gender, class, and caste participation. An engagement with internal movement politics enables more understandings of why some campaigns factionalize, fizzle, and fail to gain momentum.

 

About the Speaker:

georginadrewDr. Georgina Drew is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) of Anthropology and International Development at the University of Adelaide in Australia. She has worked on the politics of water management, dam construction, and environmental conservation in South Asia for over a decade.

Co-Sponsored by: Department of Anthropology and Centre for India and South Asia Research (CISAR)