Gender, Im(mobility) and Climate Change: Case Studies from Sundarbans Delta, India

Sonu Tewari, TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Sundarbans, an actively retrograding and prograding delta, is a region marked by extreme poverty, underdevelopment, and ecological degradation manifested by anthropogenic changes, compounded in the current times by climate change and disasters. Women’s lives are intricately intertwined within a complex (im)mobility grid to cope with it. Using qualitative case study methodology, this paper provides insights into the challenges women face as they navigate immobility, displacement, relocation and migration. Further, drawing from the theoretical framework of feminist political ecology, this paper aims to comprehend the physical and emotional labour involved in living in this climate hotspot and dealing with mobility and immobility in Sundarbans. The concepts of "Kostho" and "Chestha," which repeatedly emerged in interviews and discussions with women, capture the essence of their experiences and efforts in coping with adversities. Without any state-led support, they deal with these pressures entirely. As women use (im)mobility to deal with disasters and climate change, their coping labour takes various forms; hardships, sufferings, and struggles lay the foundation of their agency and endeavours, thus revealing the power politics of mobility and immobility in the Sundarbans Delta and how these dynamics intersect with the embodied experiences of women are further delved upon.

Keywords: Population, Environment, and Climate Change, Gender Dynamics

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