With an area focus on the state of Tamil Nadu in India, I apply post-structuralist political ecology and environmental economic geography to understand environmental change, the transformation of nature, and technologies of commodity production (e.g. seafood, small-scale fisheries and aquaculture). I aim to think-with fisher communities to reflect on the interface of land and sea by bringing together theory on diverse economies and commoning, “wet ontologies” and oceanic imaginaries. First, I explore these concepts in relation to the Anthropocene and India’s Blue Economy, which are centred on crisis narratives. Second, I embark on an ethical negotiation with environmental and economic subjectivity accounting for two positions: I) the subaltern and ii) the more-than-human. My provocation foregrounds ‘difference’, and leads to a reworking of how conservation-development is performed: what’s the place of noncapitalism, and how does it constitute community?
Previous Degrees:
- MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, University of Oxford (2017)
Peer-reviewed articles:
- Karnad, D., Gangadharan, D. and Krishna, C. (2021) ‘Rethinking sustainability: from seafood consumption to seafood commons’. Geoforum. 126: 26- 36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.07.019.
- Gangadharan, D. and Chellam, R. (2020) ‘Exploring the 4-Cs Framework: Integrating Biodiversity Conservation and Human Well-being in India’. Review of Environment and Development. Economic and Political Weekly. 55(49): 29-33. https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/49/review-environment-and- development/exploring-4-cs-framework.html.
Popular articles:
- Gangadharan, D. (2021) ‘The Sustainable Ocean: Paradox or Possibility?’. Anthroposphere - The Oxford Climate Review [Online]. 21 June. https://www.anthroposphere.co.uk/post/the-sustainable-ocean.
- Gangadharan, D. (2020) ‘COVID-19: A Hidden Connection Between Zoonotic Diseases and Class Differences’. The Wire [Online]. 11 June. https://science.thewire.in/environment/covid-19-zoonotic-diseases-elephants- charismatic-megafauna-capitalism/.
- Gangadharan, D. (2019) ‘Indian Army’s Yeti Claim Was Bad Data That Only Worsens Our Biodiversity Crisis’. The Wire [Online]. 4 May. https://science.thewire.in/environment/indian-armys-yeti-claim-was-bad-data-that- only-worsens-our-biodiversity-crisis/.
- Gangadharan, D. (2019) ‘Do Protected Areas Deny Forest Rights?’. The Wire [Online]. 24 March. https://science.thewire.in/politics/rights/do-protected-areas-deny- forest-rights/.
