Presentation short abstract

Based on ethnography in the Andaman Is., I focus upon the non-waged labour of fisherwomen which is left out of value in the process of capital accumulation. I rely on blue injustices to highlight the intertwining ‘reproductive’ and ‘productive’ work of women in (re)producing the fish economy.

Presentation long abstract

The blue justice call for action towards safeguarding small-scale fishers from marginalisation, over time has expanded to incorporate injustices experienced by the Other. Consequentially studies have argued that small scale fishers bear an inequitable burden of coastal and marine harms, which can be corrected through environmental justice. Extending the gaze, women engaged in the fish economy are recognised for their roles played in preharvest and postharvest activities. Deemed vital to their economic empowerment, the demand is for eliminating constraints. However, this emphasis on economic production is based on a narrow understanding of labour, as it assumes that vulnerability of fisherwomen is a consequence of their scale and site of production alone. Overlooking the social capacities such as birthing and raising children, caring for family, maintaining households and communities, and sustaining connections, which play a critical role in the persistence of the fish economy. Classified as non-waged labour, incorporation of reproductive activities into the realm of labour, not of value , becomes intrinsic to capital accumulation in the economy. Therefore, the paper, based on ethnography in the Andaman Islands, focuses on the invisible economies of care. Relying on blue injustices it seeks to highlight the intertwining ‘reproductive’ and ‘productive’ work of the women in (re)producing the fish economy. To argue that blue injustice against women is the intersection of diverse marginalisations that render them vulnerable.