Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalaya
Mountain Livelihoods in Transition: Constraints and Opportunities in Kinnaur, Western Himalaya By Aghaghia Rahimzadeh A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science, Policy and Management in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Louise P. Fortmann, Chair Professor Nancy Lee Peluso Professor Isha Ray Professor Carolyn Finney Spring 2016 Mountain Livelihoods in Transition: Constraints and Opportunities in Kinnaur, Western Himalaya Copyright © 2016 By Aghaghia Rahimzadeh Abstract Mountain Livelihoods in Transition: Constraints and Opportunities in Kinnaur, Western Himalaya by Aghaghia Rahimzadeh Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science, Policy and Management University of California, Berkeley Professor Louise P. Fortmann, Chair This dissertation investigates the transformation of the district of Kinnaur in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalaya. I examine Kinnauri adaptation to political, economic, environmental, and social events of the last seven decades, including state intervention, market integration, and climate change. Broadly, I examine drivers of change in Kinnaur, and the implications of these changes on social, cultural, political, and environmental dynamics of the district. Based on findings from 11 months of ethnographic field work, I argue that Kinnaur’s transformation and current economic prosperity have been chiefly induced by outside forces, creating a temporary landscape of opportunity. State-led interventions including land reform and a push to supplement subsistence agriculture with commercial horticulture initiated a significant agrarian transition beginning with India’s Independence. I provide detailed examination of the Nautor Land Rules of 1968 and the 1972 Himachel Pradesh Ceiling of Land Holding Act, and their repercussion on land allocation to landless Kinnauris.
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