Casteing the Net: the Making of a Lagoon and The
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CASTEING THE NET: THE MAKING OF A LAGOON AND THE EMERGENCE OF CASTE AS SOCIAL NETWORK by EIAL DUJOVNY (Under the Direction of J. Peter Brosius) ABSTRACT Melding historical and social network approaches, this dissertation explores the formation of caste identities and social relations between fishers and non-fishers in the Chilika Lake basin. For over a quarter of a century, the lake has been at the epicenter of the “Blue Revolution” in India and is a major source of exported prawns. Unfortunately, the introduction of prawn aquaculture has resulted in rising tensions between the lake’s fisher and non-fisher communities as the latter have abandoned agriculture and longstanding caste prohibitions to enter the fishery. This research investigates how the imposition of capitalist property rights under the colonial system of land revenue administration resulted in a strict division between rights to land and water that polarized the communities and solidified caste identities. At the same time, it reveals the historical undercurrents that spurred the non-fisher communities to embrace aquaculture as a means of reengaging with the lake’s “wastelands” – territories that, prior to the mposition of the Salt Monopoly, supported the local communities in the agricultural slack season. Using Social Network Analysis to explore friendship networks, this study questions whether the increasing similarity between fishers and non-fishers has resulted in a breakdown in social taboos and increased interaction at the individual level. These findings suggest that although caste is socially and historically constructed on the one hand, and subject to political, economic and modernizing pressures on the other hand, it primarily functions as a social network that continues to structure people’s social relations and access to resources. While this dissertation argues that the historical approach is a necessary and long overdue corrective to the ahistorical and Orientalist writings on India that have depicted caste as a timeless and otherworldly phenomenon, it contends that this perspective has also diverted attention a w a y from an exploration of how caste is actually lived today. By employing Social Network Analysis, this research proposes a new methodological and theoretical approach to the study of caste, one that lends itself to more grounded, political, and dynamic analyses that m a y be replicated throughout South Asia. INDEX WORDS: Caste, social network analysis, India, Orissa, Chilika Lake, fishers, Kaibarta, Non-fishers, Khondayat, fishery, lease policy, prawn aquaculture, salt production, land revenue administration, lagoon fishing, friendship, Khurda Kingdom, subsistence convergence, egocentric networks, homophily, multiplexity CASTEING THE NET: THE MAKING OF A LAGOON AND THE EMERGENCE OF CASTE AS SOCIAL NETWORK by EIAL DUJOVNY B.A., Hebrew University, Israel, 1995 M.A., Monterey Institute of International Studies, 1998 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2010 © 2010 Eial Dujovny All Rights Reserved CASTEING THE NET: THE MAKING OF A LAGOON AND THE EMERGENCE OF CASTE AS SOCIAL NETWORK by EIAL DUJOVNY Major Professor: J. Peter Brosius Committee: Julie Velasquez-Runk Ervan Garrison Arun Agarwal Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2010 DEDICATION For Henrika, Maya, Raphael and Yinon The disadvantage of over-large projects is that one can sometimes enjoy the journey too much ever to reach the end. - Fernand Braudel iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS People often ask me how I ended up in Chilika Lake; the truth is that it was an accident of geography. Back in 1998, I traveled to the Baltics to work for a Lithuanian environmental organization specializing in coastal zone management. Though I was interested in the problems and overlapping jurisdictions vying for control of this tiny stretch of coast (99 km long), I found that my attention kept being drawn back to the lagoon that lay directly behind it. As I soon learned, the Curonian lagoon, a beautiful expanse of placid water, is the largest brackish water lagoon in Europe. Although I never could have imagined the twists and turns (or the detours along the way), it is precisely this Lithuanian lagoon that eventually led me to the shores of the Bay of Bengal and Chilika Lake. For this unexpected turn of events, I must first express my gratitude to Ramunas Povilanskas of the European Union for Coastal Conservation – Baltic Office. Thanks to his suggestion, we co-wrote a grant proposal to “twin” Europe and Asia’s largest brackish water lagoons. Though we never did end up procuring any funds for this project, I can say with certainty that, had he not taken the initiative to search for Chilika Lake, I probably never would have found it. Another person who extended his assistance even before I ever set eyes on Chilika, was Mr. Durga Prasad Dash, director of Pallishree, an environmental NGO in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. I found Dash Babu’s organization online and contacted him for information about his numerous projects in the lake. He has always been unfailingly generous with his profound knowledge of the lake and I am forever grateful to him for insisting that I make his home my base of operations v during my first visit in 2002. Through his extensive network of contacts, I was able to meet with fishers, non-fishers, government employees, and environmental activists who are tirelessly working to protect the lake and its fishery. Many thanks also to his wife Rina, their two sons, and the hard-working staff of Pallishree. Sadly, since the construction of large, upstream dams, and the introduction of prawn aquaculture in the early 1980s, the lake and fishery has experienced steady declines in environmental quality. The fisher and non-fisher communities of the lake are confronted with a constant struggle to survive economically in the face of this rapidly diminishing natural resource. The Indian government has attempted to tackle this situation through feats of engineering and scientific studies that have largely failed to improve the lives of those most dependent on the lake. It is hardly surprising then, that when I first arrived, I was often greeted with the question “Kana Mileba?” (What have you brought?) and asked to explain exactly how my study would benefit the lake communities. Even though I had to admit that there really was little of substance that I could offer on my own, the people of Chilika never failed to share a cup of chai or poida (green coconut), and their incredible knowledge of the lake and its fishery. I would especially like to thank the residents of Bhalabhadrapur and Satapada Gada, who stoically submitted to my never-ending list of arcane and intrusive questions when they could have been doing far more important things like fixing their fishing nets. In addition, I would like to thank the residents of Aloopatna, Parala, Jaripada, Panchupathia, Barkul, Pathara, Noiry, Busundupur, Krushnaprasad Garh, Sipakhuda, Arakhakuda, Sanapatna, Gajapatinagar, Gombhari, Mirzapur, Gurubai, and the numerous places in between. In particular, I would like to thank Pabitra Mohan Jally, resident of Bhalabhadrapur and former Sergeant in the Indian Army for agreeing to serve as my field assistant since 2005. His vi first-hand knowledge of the rhythms of village life and personal relations with literally everyone in my field site never ceased to amaze me. Without his help as interpreter, note-taker, driver, tour guide, and, most importantly, confidante and friend, this dissertation would have never come to fruition. Heartfelt thanks to his wife Mani for helping me better understand the Chilika fishery by letting me share their dinner table for over a year and a half. To Julie, Ellie, Gellie, Kanika, Pratima, Bara Maa, Sumanta, Sandhya, and Prateep, many thanks for making me always feel like “bhai” (elder brother). Among the many others in my field site that I would like to single out for praise include Bhagirathy Jena, former head of the Dolphin Motor Boat Association, Banamali Jena, local environmental activist from Aloopatna, Mr, Rabi Balabantaray of Bhalabhadrapur, Mr. Acharya and his family, who hosted me at the Satapada Inspection Bungalow, the Pradhan family of Parala, the Parida family of Satapada Gada, and Manas Jena who spent many hours sharing local lore while educating me about the lake and its problems. On my last visit to Chilika, I was shocked and saddened to learn that, seeing no prospects for the future, Manas had taken his own life. At the University of Georgia, I would like to thank my major professor, J. Peter Brosius, for his mentorship, guidance, support, and, most of all, for his patience. I have always found his ability to combine an unparalleled knowledge of anthropological theory with a deeply-held commitment to an engaged anthropology as rare as it is inspiring. To my committee members – Ervan Garrison, Julie Velásquez-Runk and Arun Agarwal – I truly appreciate their faith in my abilities as a writer and scholar. Special thanks are in order to Arun Agarwal for kindly agreeing to let me be his student by serving on my committee as an external member. Erv Garrison, I would like to thank for his open-door policy and for making sure that I always had the best vii possible equipment to conduct this research. Although Julie Velásquez-Runk was the last to join my committee, she was always the first to get back to me with comments and ideas. Most of all, I would like to thank my committee for never giving up hope and for always providing insightful comments and suggestions during this long process of dissertation writing. I also wish to extend m y gratitude to Glenn Wallis, Kavita Pandit, B. Ikubolajeh Logan, and Benjamin Blount, who served in the past as committee members and have since moved on to bigger and better things.