Description
This paper explores how the Anthropocene is spatially and ideologically constructed in global politics excluding entirely the knowledge systems lived and practiced by the marginal categories in the post-colonial states focussing specifically on Dalits, the marginalised social groups in India. Nature, wielded by those in positions of power, becomes a manifestation of power dynamics intricately woven into the politics of belonging and alienation, exclusion and inclusion. Environmental discourse in international relations lacks studies that specifically integrate the term "Dalit" with ecological concepts such as "land," "water," or "environment". Recognizing Dalits as significant stakeholders in the environmental discourse is essential to address their ecological vulnerability. Environmental encounters of Dalits residing in a locality segregated along caste lines, which had been overlooked by policymakers, are undergoing transformations. For instance, the presence of a Scheduled Caste Choupals in the state of Haryana in India revolves around preserving nature and revitalizing the local community or neighbourhood. Their physical environment serve as a material context for Dalit environment subject formation. Dalit thought endeavours to formulate a fresh understanding of the environment, emphasizing spatial equity, and aims to establish an environmental ideology devoid of the constraints imposed by caste distinctions. However, many of such significant voices and models, crucial to social sustainability, do not find place in the definition of interests in the dominant discourse in field of environmental governance in international relations or global politics. A study of such social interests and their upscaling from marginality to significance holds the promise for a planetary understanding of interests rather than how it is narrowly defined and understood in mainstream IR. This paper would be based on detailed case studies of different caste groups comprising Dalits in India and their agency (or absence of it) in the environmental governance.
Keywords: Anthropocene, Dalits, Environmental Governance, Marginalities in IR
