Everyday Justice in India's Coal Transition
Testimonies from the Margins of Society
Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt author Patrik Oskarsson author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:26th May '26
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Everyday Justice in India's Coal Transition reimagines the concept of justice by exploring what a 'just transition' away from coal could look like in the Indian context. It defines 'everyday justice' more broadly to include informal economies and labour and the realities of human lives that have been fundamentally altered by coal mining. In doing so, it acknowledges the rights of local communities to make choices about their own future, have attachments to their own place and other local people, and finally, participate in political decisions and hold property. It builds a compelling case for everyday justice in India's coal transition through three kinds of evidence: testimonies collected from the same individuals over more than two decades, beginning in the late 1990s, to present a temporal view of their altered livelihoods and worldviews; a detailed examination of coal production and transport by various agents and unconventional labour arrangements therein; and the degradation of the landscape and decay of peasantry in older coal mining regions situated near the Jharkhand region in eastern India. Through decades of research, observation, interaction, and conversation with people, Lahiri-Dutt and Oskarsson provide vital insights for those aiming to understand grassroots perspectives and the need for multiple approaches to justice.
This book is about more than giving voice to those who would ordinarily be unheard in the coal transition. A fieldwork-based study over decades, the book chooses to be clinical in parts, but at the same time cannot help being poignant in many places. It will be a definitive work for those interested in narratives beyond those formally recorded or as per norms of formal compensation, instead focusing on the most marginalized and vulnerable. As Lahiri-Dutt and Oskarsson point out, development cannot be separated from justice, for which we need to think of 'everyday justice' instead of conventional models of justice. * Dr. Rahul Tongia, Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) *
Everyday Justice in India's Coal Transition presents a remarkable longitudinal ethnographic study of the impacts of India's coal boom. The book is centred on the coalfields of Jharkhand in India's east. Tracking affected communities over three decades, the book evidences the logic of India's coal curse and foregrounds displaced Indigenous peoples and exploited workers. Most important, the book explores what this means for Indian democracy -- for the future of affected peoples and for Indigenous Adivasi mobilization. As the authors suggest, India 'has a tremendous opportunity to reconcile past injustices in coal regions while envisioning a new, coal-free future through decentralized governance, community participation, and bottom-up development'. * James Goodman, Professor, University of Technology Sydney *
ISBN: 9780198993490
Dimensions: 16mm x 140mm x 216mm
Weight: 348g
210 pages