Neoliberal Mining Policy and Adivasi Vulnerability in Odisha

The aim of this chapter is to contribute to shedding light on the implications of the neoliberal turn in mining policies for the livelihoods of Adivasi communities, from a historicized, political, economic perspective. The chapter will initially reflect upon historically contextualized readings of Adivasi vulnerability in India, within the broader setting of the paradigms of development adopted in the country. It will then discuss some essential features of the social production of Odisha's specific growth trajectory from the developmental to the neoliberal eras, with attention to the social implications for the livelihoods of the Adivasi 'classes of labour'. Finally, the attention focuses on the working and living conditions of Adivasis employed in the extraction of major minerals, as well as on the survival strategies of the Adivasi population exposed to the threat and the reality of direct and indirect mining-induced displacement. In so doing, an attempt will be made to highlight continuities and changes in the aftermath of the neoliberal turn of capitalism.