Ecology and the Politics of Survival: Conflicts Over Natural Resources in India

"In this volume, through case studies of forest conflicts and water conflicts in India, the authors have exposed the grim situation in a forceful and logical manner. Its logic does not remain confined to the Indian boundaries alone but extends to all over the world in general. . . . Dr. Vandana Shiva and her colleagues deserve profound admiration for their excellent work. It is a prize book, worthwhile to read and possess." --Indian Book Chronicle "Relatively little has been written on India's ecological problems as they relate to political struggles: Shiva's stands apart as an essential treatise on the subject." --The Bookwatch "The authors are some of the well-known experts in the field. . . . The book is worth reading, as it provides a comprehensive and in-depth current discussion on the issues of water and forest in India." --Development Update Due to thoughtless acts, our environment has endured harsh treatment, and in many cases, irreversible damage. Only now are we beginning to see some of the damage we have caused. Sponsored by the United Nation University's Programme on Peace and Global Transformation, this insightful volume analyzes ecology movements in contemporary society and the resulting conflicts over vital natural resources. The discussed theme relates to societies universally, and specifically addresses the intense and emerging social contradictions related to conflicts over natural resources rapidly surfacing in India. Looked at from a direct Third World perspective, rather than speculated by an outside perspective, the book examines how ecology movements have questioned the validity of dominant concepts of economic development in the world today. Shiva discusses the fundamental assumptions of modern economic development responsible for the conflicts and environmental degradation, and proposes a new development theory which supports sustainable development and the people's rights to justice and peace. Ecology and Politics of Survival will interest students and professors alike in ecology, environmental studies, development studies, sociology, and social studies of science. "This work provides insights into the interlinkages between natural resource utilization and developmental priorities in India. . . . The book is an excellent contribution as it supports ecologists' sentiments with scientific data. It provides an insight into the unseen dimension of development programs." --Productivity "The author provides systematic conceptual framework for analyzing the processes and structures of modern economic development from an ecological perspective." --Finance India "The book under review by an author, who is both a scholar and an activist herself, is an eloquent expression of the ecological critique. The book, written in association with seven others, including the late B. V. Krishnamurthy, offers a well-articulated theoretical critique as well as a documentation of the conflicts over natural resources that took place in India in the seventies and the eighties." --Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics "Indian writers about ecology and development, and Vandana Shiva in particular, are beginning to achieve the international attention they deserve. . . . It is a pioneering work because it provides an accessible set of explanations against which other case studies can be established and tested. . . . This powerful text by Shiva and colleagues . . . can help realize a change in training and thinking which we are all waiting for." --Pacific Affairs