Social scientists theorizing about political economy and the
allocation of resources have usually omitted migrant communities
from their studies. In "Greener Pastures" Arun Agrawal uses the
story of the Raikas, a little-known group of migrant shepherds in
western India, to reexamine current scholarship on markets and
exchange, local and state politics, and community and hierarchy.
The Raikas are virtually invisible in the regions through which
they travel, as well as to the wider Indian society, yet they must
operate as part of these larger spheres for their economic
survival.
Agrawal analyzes the institutions developed by the shepherds to
solve livelihood problems. First, by focusing on the relations of
the shepherds with their landholder neighbors, he explains why the
shepherds migrate. He shows that struggles between these two groups
led to a sociopolitical squeeze on the access of shepherds to the
fodder resources they need to feed their sheep. Then, in an
examination of why the shepherds migrate in groups, he demonstrates
how their migratory lives depend on market exchanges and points to
the social and political forces that influence prices and determine
profits. Finally, he looks at decision-making processes such as
division of labor and the delegation of power. Politics is
ubiquitous in the interactions of the shepherds with their
neighbors and with state officials, in their exchanges in markets
and with farmers, and in their internal relations as a
community.
Interspersing the words of the Raikas themselves with a
sophisticated deployment of political theory, Agrawal has produced
a volume that will interest scholars in a broad range of academic
disciplines, including Asian studies, political science, human
ecology, anthropology, comparative politics, rural sociology, and
environmental studies and policy.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
