Protest Movements Against Sanctuaries in Odisha: Politics with Other Means. (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ray, Sthitapragyan
• Is Part Of: South Asia research. Volume 41:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 369
• Page End: 383
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: Odisha -- protest movements -- sanctuaries -- state -- tribals; South Asia -- Periodicals; 954.0072
• DOI: 10.1177/02627280211034857
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0262-7280

Abstract

This study seeks to counter interpretations of tribal movements as reflecting parochial and perverse ethno-territorial aspirations, mostly in irrational violent forms. It compares two peaceful protest movements against wildlife sanctuaries located in different geographical and political-economic settings in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. As rational collective actions, both movements relied on the agency of project-affected persons who questioned state attempts to de-politicise development in the name of scientific conservation. The study shows how the legitimate concerns of such project-affected citizens were overshadowed by politics and the context-specific dialectical interface between three different factors, namely availability of indigenous organisational resources, political opportunity structures and identity construction.