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Papers by Dalel Benbabaali

Ground Down by Growth, 2018

This chapter examines how the resources of a tribal scheduled area have attracted industries as w... more This chapter examines how the resources of a tribal scheduled area have attracted industries as well as non-Adivasi settlers, leading to tribal land alienation and proletarianisation. The village studied is located on the banks of the Godavari river in Bhadrachalam Agency of Khammam district in Telangana, just a few kilometers away from ITC paper factory. Despite a long history of social movements which includes the Naxalites and the formation of the new state of Telengana, Adivasi land and forest rights have been progressively eroded for industrialisation, in the name of development. The study focuses on three groups, two Adivasis (Koyas and Lambadas) and one Dalit (Madigas), in order to show how they have been differently impacted by the processes described above. Inequality is thus analysed at various levels: within each group, between these groups, and between them and the more powerful groups (especially Kammas).

Contemporary South Asia, 2016

This article analyzes the changes and continuities in various social movements in a South Indian ... more This article analyzes the changes and continuities in various social movements in a South Indian region over the past 70 years, from the peasant armed struggle that started in the princely State of Hyderabad to the agitation that led to the formation of the Telangana State in 2014. The aim is to assess what these movements achieved and to understand how they are connected to each other. I argue that while there is a strong continuity between the peasant uprising of the 1940s and the ongoing Maoist guerrilla struggle in their militant agrarian agenda as well as forms of organization, the statehood movement for a separate Telangana is far less radical both in terms of means and ends. While the carving of Telangana out of the united Andhra Pradesh State challenged the economic power and cultural hegemony of the Andhra elites, the promise of a democratic Telangana has been belied with little evidence so far of the new government's intent to change the relations of domination and subordination within Telangana society and how institutions of the State relate to citizens. The emancipatory potential of a regionalism of the oppressed has thus given way to a mere territorial reorganization of power.

Modern Asian Studies, 2018

This article argues that taking territory into account is essential to understand the change in t... more This article argues that taking territory into account is essential to understand the change in the scale and nature of caste dominance in contemporary India. The demonstration is based on an analysis of the socio-spatial trajectories of the Kammas - a dominant caste from Coastal Andhra, where they continue to own most of the land, even though they have migrated in large numbers towards the interior and southern regions of the Indian peninsula, both to newly irrigated areas and to the cities. The key positions they occupy in the politics and economy of Andhra Pradesh confer upon them a hegemonic character. However, this hegemony is threatened by the growing resistance of Dalits to caste and class oppression, while Kamma cultural domination, long contested in Telangana, is now challenged by the formation of the new state.

Full paper available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0026749X16000755

After Independence, the Indian Administrative Service was expected to promote national integratio... more After Independence, the Indian Administrative Service was expected to promote national integration, from a social as well as a spatial point of view. Yet, despite the reservation policy, this elite body lacks representativeness. The partisanship of IAS officers along caste, religious and ethnic lines has further reduced their efficiency as a binding force of the nation. Being an All-India Service, the IAS encourages the spatial mobility of its members, which is not always welcome by officers posted in far-off states or in disturbed areas. In these places, the vacancy of postings in the higher administration is a sign of desertion that is contrary to the IAS mission of territorial integration.

The oasis of Palmyra, in the heartland of the Syrian steppe, has had a remarkable longevity thank... more The oasis of Palmyra, in the heartland of the Syrian steppe, has had a remarkable longevity thanks to a regulated use of water resources for several thousands years. Today, its hydroagricultural development is jeopardized by the overexploitation of these resources, which are no longer managed collectively by the community of irrigation users, but individually by the owners of private wells. The Government has not been able to face up to the drying of the spring which gave birth to the oasis and which was used for canal irrigation. Disastrous touristic planning and water management caused the irreversible drying-up of the spring. Today, the water supplied by the State is not sufficient for irrigation and farmers need to pump themselves from the ground water at a pace which no longer allows its renewal. The Government and development planners tend to favour modern techniques of micro-irrigation, which avoid waste, but cannot constitute a sustainable solution if the current water management itself is not reconsidered.

Cette recherche fut possible grâce à une bourse du Centre Jacques Berque de Rabat, et à l'aide de... more Cette recherche fut possible grâce à une bourse du Centre Jacques Berque de Rabat, et à l'aide de mon cousin Adel qui m'accompagna lors de l'enquête.

Book Reviews by Dalel Benbabaali

Published in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, volume 27.

En Inde, l'État est responsable de la mort de deux à trois millions de pauvres par an, alors que ... more En Inde, l'État est responsable de la mort de deux à trois millions de pauvres par an, alors que de nombreux programmes de lutte contre la pauvreté ciblent une population qui participe activement au projet démocratique à travers les élections. L'anthropologue Akhil Gupta explique ce paradoxe dans un ouvrage novateur fondé sur une minutieuse ethnographie des pratiques quotidiennes de la bureaucratie indienne. Tape 2 , un portrait similaire du gouvernement indien qui perçoit les femmes et les enfants issus de familles pauvres comme des « segments de la population n'ayant pas été suffisamment recensés, comptés, classifiés, mesurés, vaccinés ou scolarisés dans le passé » (p. 261). En réalité, ses références sont moins proudhoniennes que foucaldiennes. S'appuyant sur le concept de biopouvoir tel qu'il a été élaboré par Michel Foucault, Gupta suggère que la pauvreté en Inde a été normalisée à travers de nombreux projets statistiques visant à la mesurer. Cette normalisation conduit à ne plus considérer les morts dues à l'extrême pauvreté comme une violation (de la loi, de la justice, de la morale ou de la Constitution), ni comme un scandale délégitimant le pouvoir.

Ground Down by Growth, 2018

This chapter examines how the resources of a tribal scheduled area have attracted industries as w... more This chapter examines how the resources of a tribal scheduled area have attracted industries as well as non-Adivasi settlers, leading to tribal land alienation and proletarianisation. The village studied is located on the banks of the Godavari river in Bhadrachalam Agency of Khammam district in Telangana, just a few kilometers away from ITC paper factory. Despite a long history of social movements which includes the Naxalites and the formation of the new state of Telengana, Adivasi land and forest rights have been progressively eroded for industrialisation, in the name of development. The study focuses on three groups, two Adivasis (Koyas and Lambadas) and one Dalit (Madigas), in order to show how they have been differently impacted by the processes described above. Inequality is thus analysed at various levels: within each group, between these groups, and between them and the more powerful groups (especially Kammas).

Contemporary South Asia, 2016

This article analyzes the changes and continuities in various social movements in a South Indian ... more This article analyzes the changes and continuities in various social movements in a South Indian region over the past 70 years, from the peasant armed struggle that started in the princely State of Hyderabad to the agitation that led to the formation of the Telangana State in 2014. The aim is to assess what these movements achieved and to understand how they are connected to each other. I argue that while there is a strong continuity between the peasant uprising of the 1940s and the ongoing Maoist guerrilla struggle in their militant agrarian agenda as well as forms of organization, the statehood movement for a separate Telangana is far less radical both in terms of means and ends. While the carving of Telangana out of the united Andhra Pradesh State challenged the economic power and cultural hegemony of the Andhra elites, the promise of a democratic Telangana has been belied with little evidence so far of the new government's intent to change the relations of domination and subordination within Telangana society and how institutions of the State relate to citizens. The emancipatory potential of a regionalism of the oppressed has thus given way to a mere territorial reorganization of power.

Modern Asian Studies, 2018

This article argues that taking territory into account is essential to understand the change in t... more This article argues that taking territory into account is essential to understand the change in the scale and nature of caste dominance in contemporary India. The demonstration is based on an analysis of the socio-spatial trajectories of the Kammas - a dominant caste from Coastal Andhra, where they continue to own most of the land, even though they have migrated in large numbers towards the interior and southern regions of the Indian peninsula, both to newly irrigated areas and to the cities. The key positions they occupy in the politics and economy of Andhra Pradesh confer upon them a hegemonic character. However, this hegemony is threatened by the growing resistance of Dalits to caste and class oppression, while Kamma cultural domination, long contested in Telangana, is now challenged by the formation of the new state.

Full paper available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0026749X16000755

After Independence, the Indian Administrative Service was expected to promote national integratio... more After Independence, the Indian Administrative Service was expected to promote national integration, from a social as well as a spatial point of view. Yet, despite the reservation policy, this elite body lacks representativeness. The partisanship of IAS officers along caste, religious and ethnic lines has further reduced their efficiency as a binding force of the nation. Being an All-India Service, the IAS encourages the spatial mobility of its members, which is not always welcome by officers posted in far-off states or in disturbed areas. In these places, the vacancy of postings in the higher administration is a sign of desertion that is contrary to the IAS mission of territorial integration.

The oasis of Palmyra, in the heartland of the Syrian steppe, has had a remarkable longevity thank... more The oasis of Palmyra, in the heartland of the Syrian steppe, has had a remarkable longevity thanks to a regulated use of water resources for several thousands years. Today, its hydroagricultural development is jeopardized by the overexploitation of these resources, which are no longer managed collectively by the community of irrigation users, but individually by the owners of private wells. The Government has not been able to face up to the drying of the spring which gave birth to the oasis and which was used for canal irrigation. Disastrous touristic planning and water management caused the irreversible drying-up of the spring. Today, the water supplied by the State is not sufficient for irrigation and farmers need to pump themselves from the ground water at a pace which no longer allows its renewal. The Government and development planners tend to favour modern techniques of micro-irrigation, which avoid waste, but cannot constitute a sustainable solution if the current water management itself is not reconsidered.

Cette recherche fut possible grâce à une bourse du Centre Jacques Berque de Rabat, et à l'aide de... more Cette recherche fut possible grâce à une bourse du Centre Jacques Berque de Rabat, et à l'aide de mon cousin Adel qui m'accompagna lors de l'enquête.

Published in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, volume 27.

En Inde, l'État est responsable de la mort de deux à trois millions de pauvres par an, alors que ... more En Inde, l'État est responsable de la mort de deux à trois millions de pauvres par an, alors que de nombreux programmes de lutte contre la pauvreté ciblent une population qui participe activement au projet démocratique à travers les élections. L'anthropologue Akhil Gupta explique ce paradoxe dans un ouvrage novateur fondé sur une minutieuse ethnographie des pratiques quotidiennes de la bureaucratie indienne. Tape 2 , un portrait similaire du gouvernement indien qui perçoit les femmes et les enfants issus de familles pauvres comme des « segments de la population n'ayant pas été suffisamment recensés, comptés, classifiés, mesurés, vaccinés ou scolarisés dans le passé » (p. 261). En réalité, ses références sont moins proudhoniennes que foucaldiennes. S'appuyant sur le concept de biopouvoir tel qu'il a été élaboré par Michel Foucault, Gupta suggère que la pauvreté en Inde a été normalisée à travers de nombreux projets statistiques visant à la mesurer. Cette normalisation conduit à ne plus considérer les morts dues à l'extrême pauvreté comme une violation (de la loi, de la justice, de la morale ou de la Constitution), ni comme un scandale délégitimant le pouvoir.

Delivered on 14 April 2015 in NALSAR Law University, Hyderabad, India

In memory of Nagaraju on Ambedkar Jayanti

Text of a talk given in Westminster University, London, on 8 February 2016. To be published in an... more Text of a talk given in Westminster University, London, on 8 February 2016. To be published in an anthology on Rohith Vemula prepared by his friends.
Though I will try to highlight the specificities of caste in Telugu society – that is, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – this is not to say that these characteristics are unique to the Telugu States.

On 17 January 2016, Rohith Vemula, a PhD student from University of Hyderabad, committed suicide ... more On 17 January 2016, Rohith Vemula, a PhD student from University of Hyderabad, committed suicide in the campus, after being persecuted by the administration that suspended him in September, along with four other Dalit students. His death triggered protests against caste discrimination in Indian universities across the country.