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Podcast: New Books in South Asian Studies
Episode: Gayatri Nair, "Set Adrift: Capitalist Transformations and Community Politics Along Mumbai's Shores" (Oxford UP, 2021)
Description: The Koli community in Mumbai-which has been practicing fishing for centuries-has experienced rapid changes over the last few decades, in the forms of increased mechanization, export of fish to global markets, and the pressure of urbanization on their living and workspaces. The capitalist transformation in fishing has altered what was once a caste-based practice to one that brought to it investors from outside the community, migrant workers, and ecological degradation. The resultant loss of revenue, jobs, and catch for artisanal fishers has led to movements demanding fishing rights to be granted to traditional fisher communities alone and for a...