Blue Development: Analyzing the Role of the State in the Rise of Aquaculture in India
Location
GC150, Modesto A. Maidique Campus, Florida International University
Start Date
5-3-2015 9:50 AM
End Date
5-3-2015 10:05 AM
Abstract
In this paper, I analyze the processes that transformed aquaculture into a major export industry in India, in order to understand the role aquaculture has as a social and economic development strategy of the Indian state. The discussion employs a political ecology approach as I explore the complex relations between access and control of India’s coastal resources, society, and economy. I argue that many of the forces that initiated the development of aquaculture in India, namely the involvement of the Indian state, continue to shape the industry today. I also discuss how despite widespread social conflict, the shrimp farming industry, in particular, continues to thrive and grow in rural India. My analysis utilizes ethnographic and archival data collected over the course of 9 months of fieldwork in Tamil Nadu, India.
Keywords: rural development, aquaculture, India, State, ethnography
Blue Development: Analyzing the Role of the State in the Rise of Aquaculture in India
GC150, Modesto A. Maidique Campus, Florida International University
In this paper, I analyze the processes that transformed aquaculture into a major export industry in India, in order to understand the role aquaculture has as a social and economic development strategy of the Indian state. The discussion employs a political ecology approach as I explore the complex relations between access and control of India’s coastal resources, society, and economy. I argue that many of the forces that initiated the development of aquaculture in India, namely the involvement of the Indian state, continue to shape the industry today. I also discuss how despite widespread social conflict, the shrimp farming industry, in particular, continues to thrive and grow in rural India. My analysis utilizes ethnographic and archival data collected over the course of 9 months of fieldwork in Tamil Nadu, India.
Keywords: rural development, aquaculture, India, State, ethnography