The Coloured Lens Effect: Disentangling the Contradictory Discourses within Watershed Policies

Abstract

This proposed article seeks to analyse the Hariyali guidelines in order to show how a capitalistic, managerial and scientific rationale is used which presumes that nature in order to be valued must have a productive value. As a capitalist enterprise, nature is only useful if it serves the livelihood needs of the populace. All other values are elided in favour of one overarching idea of productivity for the market. This productivity is sought to be harnessed through the twin ideas of proper managerial and scientific principles. The ‘Watershed Users Association’ is premised on the principle of people being rational maximisers who will put aside their caste, gender, religious and class differences in order to transform the topographical watershed into a productive entrepreneurial community enterprise. On the ground, people of course manage to subvert and resist these processes even as they acquiesce in the larger development plan.

Keywords

Watershed development neo-liberalism productive nature scientific management

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