000			02325nam a2200193Ia 4500
999			_c49008 _d49008
005			20220203171559.0
008			200204s9999 xx 000 0 und d
020			_a9780195635843
082			_a307.7 BAV
100			_a"Baviskar, Amita"
245		0	_aIn the belly of the river: tribal conflicts over development in the Narmada valley
260			_aNew Delhi
260			_bOUP
260			_c1995
300			_a286p.
520			_aWhy are adivasis fighting the Narmada dam and other development projects in India today? Are adivasis 'ecologically noble savages' living in harmony with nature? What the tribal relationship with nature today? How do people, whose struggles are the subject of theories of liberation and social change, perceive their own situation? Do their present circumstances allow adivasis to formulate critique of 'development'? In the Belly of the River addresses these questions through an account of the lives of Bhilala adivasis in the Narmada valley who are fighting against displacement by the Sardar Sarovar dam in western India. On the basis of intensive fieldwork and historical research, this study places the tribal community in the context of its experience of state domination. Combining aspects of adivasi kinship and religion with the political economy of resource use, the book highlights the contradictions inherent in tribal relation ships with nature-contradictions that permeate adivasi consciousness as well as practices. Baviskar critically examines the way in which adivasis are represented by intellectuals who speak 'on their behalf'. The author challenges current theories of social movements which claim that a cultural critique of the development' paradigm is writ large in the political actions of those marginalized by 'development'-adivasis who lived in harmony with nature, combining reverence for nature with the sustainable management of resources. The complexity of adivasi politics cannot be reduced to an opposition between 'development' and 'resistance'. The book forces us to re-examine the politics of representation within the ideology of progressive movements. It will be of equal interest to scholars and social activists concerned about development, environment and indigenous peoples.
650			_aTribal communitiesNarmada Valley
942			_cB _2ddc