Dispossession and the Depletion of Social Reproduction

Abstract

Gender is largely under-theorized in the now well-developed literature on dispossession; this paper contributes to the analysis of the gender dimensions of dispossession by bringing the literature on dispossession into conversation with the feminist literature on social reproduction, specifically, depletion of social reproduction. Drawing on qualitative field research, the paper provides a gendered analysis of the multiple vectors of dispossession affecting the Miyana, a Muslim community living in the Little Rann of Kutch, an estuarine zone in central Gujarat within which prawn harvesting and salt production are their symbiotic seasonal livelihood activities. Using the concept of depletion as a diagnostic tool, I argue that the assessment of depletion due to dispossession requires investigation of the levels of mitigation, replenishment or transformation available to individuals, households and communities within the circuits of production and social reproduction.

The anticipatory politics of dispossession in a Senegalese mining negotiation

“…These processes occurred independently of the mining venture, but the dispossessions they have already caused for rice fields, common property mangroves, and privately-held land along the coast made residents wary of the ways in which the mine could aggravate ongoing environmental issues. Further dispossession of land and water resources could also impact gendered responsibilities for social reproduction, including water provisioning, as has occurred in other cases (Fernandez 2018). Experiences of ongoing coastal environmental change thus informed views of the mine's potential impacts on both land and water.…”

The Unstable Coastline: Navigating Dispossession and Belonging in Colombo

“…Amidst the confusion and “in‐between” nature of Colombo’s post‐war urban transformation, residents of Mutuwall navigate “incremental, under‐the‐radar” (Fernandez :159) forms of dispossession. This section conceives of various projects of urban development as accretive rather than discrete forms of harm.…”

“…Recent scholarship has complicated our understandings of dispossession, pointing to its disjointed spatialities and temporalities (Harms ; Li ) and its multiple natures and differential impacts both across and within communities (Doshi ; Fernandez ; Harms ). The erasure—both symbolically and materially—of poor people from the urban landscape has been a feature of global and “world‐class” city‐making efforts across different world regions and has been well‐documented by scholars and activists critical of the triumphalist narratives of municipal and state governments (e.g.…”

“…William’s stories blended together common elements that emerged time and time again in my conversations with Mutuwall residents: the difficulties of making ends meet; the effects of the 2004 tsunami; seemingly never‐ending cycles of debt; and worries about the future of fishing as a viable livelihood. All of these factors point to a general depletion of social and material resources, and gesture at the multiple vectors of dispossession (Fernandez ) which people like William face. Contemporary dispossession, as it is lived and experienced by real people, is often messy and confusing, taking place at different scales and along different timelines (Harms ; Li ).…”

“…Contemporary dispossession, as it is lived and experienced by real people, is often messy and confusing, taking place at different scales and along different timelines (Harms ; Li ). Through my conversations with William and others in Mutuwall, it became clear that even enumerating and articulating the different strands of dispossession that the community faced was a challenge (Fernandez ; Zeiderman ).…”