Paper short abstract:

The paper shows how the Santals frame their own idea of environmental justice to answer to state policies.

Paper long abstract:

I shall engage with different archives to show how indigeneity was constructed by the Santal themselves under different figures such as rebels and prophets during the second half of the nineteenth century.

I shall unravel how Santal knowledge revolves around two dimensions, an emergent historical consciousness and a feeling of shared identity which informs Adivasi resistance to-day, forging an Adivasi sensitivity, a way to grasp conflicts over natural resources. I shall examine how the Santals have engaged in participatory resource management setups as agents to negotiate with the structures of power and dominance.

Using examples from different regions, I argue that state environmental justice appears contradictory to the social actors. This lack of transparency tends to create environmental movements, often seen as articulating cultural opposition to an economic understanding of the environment. I propose to show how the Santals frame their own idea of environmental justice, through a pluralistic perspective which takes into account a critical engagement.