Social Change, Employment and Development in Weekly Rural Markets in Odisha

Local rural markets ( haats) are considered important spaces of economic and social exchange all over South Asia. Based on a detailed ethnography in four weekly haats in Koraput district of Odisha in India, this article confirms their functions as dynamic socio-cultural gendered public spaces as well as crucial hubs of economic activities for rural areas. However, going beyond local ethnography, and seeking to understand how these weekly markets socially and economically empower poor rural tribals as well as non-tribals, this article problematises the role of middlemen. They not only regulate these markets but also control the terms of trade and profits while connecting local markets to higher scales of South Asia’s food security chains. Our concluding analysis identifies some key risks and opportunities faced by producers, sellers and buyers as participants in these weekly markets, which are now clearly glocalised spaces.