Working people of the Coast

Development Discourse: Contesting Dispossession in Coastal Communities

The Bay of Bengal coastline is currently undergoing substantial transformations driven by natural processes and shifts within its ecosystems. These changes are further exacerbated by various anthropogenic pressures, including industrial expansion, land use change, state policies favouring infrastructure development, and the rapid growth of tourism. This so-called "coastal development" is having a detrimental effect on working-class communities that rely on these coastal and marine resources for their survival. Traditional fishing families, coastal farmers, and maritime workers are witnessing their primary sources of income threatened by these environmental and economic shifts.

The language of development and industrialisation is serving to justify the dispossession of the coastal people. The activities undertaken under the guise of development have increased the fishing capacity of only a very few individuals and entities. The bulk of the fishers are finding it increasingly difficult to cope. Concerned with creating real jobs and income for the people in a sustainable fashion, we study, document and create resources for coastal communities to counter and cope with many of these processes, trying to stay consistently partisan to the concerns of small fishers and the working women of the coast. 

We collaborate with fishing communities along the Bay of Bengal coast in Tamil Nadu to build campaigns against detrimental coastal policies that impact their livelihoods. Our goal is to amplify their voices and advocate for sustainable coastal management practices that balance environmental concerns with the needs of local communities.