Hindu nationalism, climate reductionism, and the political ecology of dalits on Char Islands: Does caste matter for climate resilience in India?

Abstract

Understanding the unequal impacts of climate change is essential, particularly in examining how climate reductionism intersects with subalternism in the Global South and the political ecology of Dalits in South Asia. In this article, I introduce a new perspective by questioning the validity of caste dynamics within the contemporary context of Hindu nationalism, climate reductionism, and climate resilience in India. The primary focus of this article lies in presenting a scholarly argument about the underestimation of caste issues in building climate-resilient societies and how this oversight challenges climate reductionist narratives in both Indian and global contexts. The study centres on three distinct case study locations on char islands in West Bengal, India, where Dalit communities face extreme socio-economic marginalisation, alongside issues of disaster inequalities and climate vulnerability. These dual burdens have introduced a new dimension to their struggle, encompassing issues of identity and citizenship shaped by Brahmanical Hindu nationalist supremacy. Drawing on qualitative ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2022 and 2024, I provide evidence to support my argument while advancing the theoretical framework. This article concludes that a critical reassessment of caste dynamics is essential for fostering truly climate-resilient societies in India. The rise of Hindu nationalism and the dominance of Brahmanical forces have exacerbated the marginalisation of Dalits, intensifying their vulnerabilities in the context of climate change. The political ecology of Dalits emerges as a vital area of inquiry within the contemporary climate change discourse, highlighting the profound disparities in disaster resilience and environmental justice in India.