Anthropological studies of marine fishermen have explored immense diversity among fishing societies, and the management strategies of marine resources in the context of globalization and changing technologies deserve the utmost attention from researchers in an uncertain economy. In India, fishing communities belong to various different castes and religions. This book presents an anthropological study of Hindu marine fishermen in two neighboring fishing villages situated in the same coastal belt, but administered by two different state governments (Kerala and Pondicherry). It explores the ways in which state interventions influence the development paradigm of a marginalized society like marine fishermen, and discusses the distribution pattern of production systems and its significance at the household level. The book also considers the gendered forms of economic transformation in fishing due to declining marine resources, and technological and climate change. It also focuses on the role of women fish vendors in market spaces as instituted by their distribution and credit connections and the unique experiences of the development process through anxieties, compromises and survival in an uncertain economy. The book will be of interest to researchers, administrators and NGOs working for the inclusive development of marginalized communities sharing common property resources.

Anthropological studies of marine fishermen have explored immense diversity among fishing societies, and the management strategies of marine resources in the context of globalization and changing technologies deserve the utmost attention from researchers in an uncertain economy. In India, fishing communities belong to various different castes and religions. This book presents an anthropological study of Hindu marine fishermen in two neighboring fishing villages situated in the same coastal belt, but administered by two different state governments (Kerala and Pondicherry). It explores the ways in which state interventions influence the development paradigm of a marginalized society like marine fishermen, and discusses the distribution pattern of production systems and its significance at the household level. The book also considers the gendered forms of economic transformation in fishing due to declining marine resources, and technological and climate change. It also focuses on the role of women fish vendors in market spaces as instituted by their distribution and credit connections and the unique experiences of the development process through anxieties, compromises and survival in an uncertain economy. The book will be of interest to researchers, administrators and NGOs working for the inclusive development of marginalized communities sharing common property resources.

This open access volume discloses rich set of findings and policy recommendations for India towards achieving the SDG 2.1 target of zero hunger by 2030. Through its fourteen chapters, it takes an integrated approach by examining diverse aspects of food and nutrition security through multidisciplinary lens of Agricultural Economics, Nutrition, Crop Sciences, Anthropology and Law, while being rooted in economics. The chapters reflect this diversity in disciplines in terms of the questions posed, the data sets used, and the methodologies followed. Starting from the evolution of policy response for hunger and nutrition security, the book covers aspects such gender budgeting, dietary diversity, women’s empowerment, calorie intake norms, socio-legal aspects of right to health, subjective wellbeing, bio-fortification, crop insurance and food security linkages, interdependence of public distribution system (for food security) and employment guarantee schemes especially during COVID-19 pandemic, effects of dairy dietary supplements, and so on. With its rich discussions, the book is compelling for students, researchers, policy makers, development professionals and practitioners working in areas of food and nutrition security, SDGs, in particular SDG1, SDG2 and SDG5, and sustainable food systems.

Fisheries play an important role in the economy of nations bordering the sea and this is especially true in a populous country like India where a large majority continues to live below the poverty line. Sea fishing has been an occupation with the coastal people of India since time immemorial forming an integral part of the maritime heritage. Machanisation has been introduced into the marine fishing with a view to exploit the fisheries potential all along the Indian coastline of 6,500 km by overcoming the deficiencies of the centuries old traditional fishing technology and to augment fish production with a higher fishing effort and also to raise the income levels and living standards of fishermen. The present book, based on the author’s doctoral dissertation, made a bold and pioneering attempt to evaluate the costs and earnings of mechanised and traditional boats for determining their relative operational efficiency and to examine intensively the effects of mechanisation on employment, income levels, consumption pattern and levels of living of fishermen and their social implications. While analysing the merits of the new fishing technology and also the reactions of different groups of fishermen to mechanisation, he spotlights the shortsightedness in the implementation of the programme of mechanisation resulting in a host of negative effects which have implications and also sets forth the valuable lessons which Indian experiences have to offer to the densely populated littoral nations in the Third World. To ensure enduring benefits to the vast majority of marine fishermen, the thesis underscores, among numerous other remedies the need for the provision of an intermediary technology, the need for the institutional support and marketing network and the need for the management of fisheries resources. It also calls for the policies to bring about socio-economic development of the fishing community on par with the rest of the society. All in all, a genuine contribution to knowledge of `grassroots' situations that will have enduring value and that can be useful in both academic and policy-formation circles.

The Palk Bay region, which separates the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu from northern parts of Sri Lanka, has been in the headlines during recent years. The rich fishing waters, especially lucrative on the Sri Lanka side of the maritime boundary, became a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu fishermen and the Sri Lanka Navy during the years of the ethnic conflict. With the declaration of a ceasefire between the Sri Lanka Government and the the Tamil Tigers, a new dimension has been added to the problem. Sri Lankan fishermen have resumed fishing operations; however, they find poaching by Indian trawlers into Sri Lanka waters to be a major hindrance to their livelihood. The irony of fisheries in the Palk Strait is that while the trawling ground is limited, trawlers are unlimited. As more and more fishermen start fishing for less and less, storm clouds gather over the Palk Bay. What is the background to this controversy? What are the major issues? Can Indian interests, especially the interests of Tamil Nadu fishermen, be ensured, fostered and protected without depriving the livelihood of Sri Lankan fishermen? Can India and Sri Lanka work together and jointly enrich the marine resources in the southern part of South Asia? This book is an attempt to throw light on these and other relevant critical issues. It is hoped the conclusions would stimulate fresh thinking in New Delhi, Colombo, Chennai and Jaffna. REVIEWS

What is life? What is water? What is sound? In Sounding the Limits of Life, anthropologist Stefan Helmreich investigates how contemporary scientists—biologists, oceanographers, and audio engineers—are redefining these crucial concepts. Life, water, and sound are phenomena at once empirical and abstract, material and formal, scientific and social. In the age of synthetic biology, rising sea levels, and new technologies of listening, these phenomena stretch toward their conceptual snapping points, breaching the boundaries between the natural, cultural, and virtual. Through examinations of the computational life sciences, marine biology, astrobiology, acoustics, and more, Helmreich follows scientists to the limits of these categories. Along the way, he offers critical accounts of such other-than-human entities as digital life forms, microbes, coral reefs, whales, seawater, extraterrestrials, tsunamis, seashells, and bionic cochlea. He develops a new notion of "sounding"—as investigating, fathoming, listening—to describe the form of inquiry appropriate for tracking meanings and practices of the biological, aquatic, and sonic in a time of global change and climate crisis. Sounding the Limits of Life shows that life, water, and sound no longer mean what they once did, and that what count as their essential natures are under dynamic revision.

This volume explores current issues in national and international policy, business and capitalism and economic theory and behavior specifically pertaining to Brazil. The underlying theme running through the collection is the steady encroachment of neoliberalism into economic policy and practice, and the impact this has had on everyday ways of life.

Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a fishing village, this book explores the local environmental knowledge of the fisher folk and its role in helping them to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. Particular emphasis is put on conversation as a cultural process, the use of metaphors and figurative speech.