Trent Brown | University of Melbourne (original) (raw)
Papers by Trent Brown
Third World Quarterly
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Youth Beyond the City
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Children's Geographies, 2017
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Antipode, 2015
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Annals of the American Association of Geographers
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South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 2013
After four and a half decades of Green Revolution agrarian development, the state of Punjab is no... more After four and a half decades of Green Revolution agrarian development, the state of Punjab is now, according to many commentators, in a state of social, economic and ecological crisis. In this paper, I interpret this crisis through a Gramscian lens as a ‘crisis of authority’, in the sense that while the dominant paradigm (the Green Revolution) can no longer provide solutions to the state's most pressing social problems, there is no clear single alternative either. This situation provides a political opportunity for non-hegemonic groups to articulate various other possibilities that address fundamental questions. This paper focuses on the work of one such group, the Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM). KVM is a civil society organisation that promotes ‘natural farming’ as a solution to the crisis in Punjab: natural farming is a chemical-free method of farming, which relies exclusively on materials available at the local level. This paper looks at KVM's methods of intervening in the crisis situation and examines the difficulties faced at the level of implementation. It argues that KVM's successes and failures highlight the uneven capacities of different classes and social groups to effectively respond to a ‘crisis of authority’.
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Routledge Handbook of Food in Asia, 2019
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Journal of Agrarian Change, 2019
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Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2016
ABSTRACT The promotion of sustainable agriculture is a focal point for many civil society organiz... more ABSTRACT The promotion of sustainable agriculture is a focal point for many civil society organizations (CSOs) in India, including both development NGOs and grassroots organizations. In this article, I draw on three case studies of CSOs promoting sustainable agriculture in India, in order to evaluate their potential to address contemporary agrarian issues in a pro-poor manner. I argue that, whatever the technical merits of sustainable farming systems may be, CSOs are constrained in their ability to implement these systems in a manner that directly meets the needs of the rural poor. This is largely because, in order to achieve their goals, sustainable agriculture organizations usually must forge relations with at least five separate entities: the state, donor organizations, activist networks, rural elites and the rural poor. Strategic decisions must be made regarding which of these entities are prioritized and, for a variety of reasons, the leaders of sustainable agriculture organizations often prioritize relations with powerful actors rather than the rural poor. This is a major barrier to the development of models of sustainable agriculture that may address the needs of rural communities in the context of the contemporary agrarian crisis.
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Critical Asian Studies, 2016
ABSTRACT Throughout the developing world, rapid urbanization is leading to new social relations a... more ABSTRACT Throughout the developing world, rapid urbanization is leading to new social relations and new conflicts between urban and (formerly) rural populations. This paper examines this process of change through a detailed examination of changing rural–urban relations in the town of Darjeeling, in the Himalayan foothills in Eastern India. In Darjeeling, increased rural mobility, accelerated rural-to-urban migration and the increased participation of rural people in local politics have led to major changes in the town. We demonstrate that the upward trajectory of rural classes who were previously subordinate is leading the more established urban residents to feel threatened, resulting in a redrawing of local political issues along rural–urban lines and a reconfiguration of class consciousness and social relations. The urban middle class, whose opportunities in the town have stagnated or declined, see rural migrants as a source of competition for increasingly scarce resources and blame them for the overall decline in the quality of urban life. They mobilize their (predominantly cultural) capital to reinforce markers of cultural distinction between them and the rural migrants and to delegitimize the political gains they have made. We argue that rural–urban conflict is emerging as the chief source of tension in the town and that this tension is largely grounded in class issues.
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VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2012
Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and social movements are often juxtaposed as two distinct mod... more Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and social movements are often juxtaposed as two distinct modes of action within civil society. While NGOs are seen as being linked to the interests of donors and being composed primarily of middle-class professionals, social movements are presented as a more authentic expression of grassroots perspectives. While academic literature compares and contrasts these two forms of organisation in the abstract, there has been comparatively little research exploring how civil society actors themselves conceptualise the NGO/social movement dichotomy and how this influences their strategic decision making. The Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM), working in the North Indian state of Punjab, is a useful case for exploring this issue. KVM is one of a growing number of groups working in the field of sustainable agriculture that has chosen to adopt a social movement model of organisation and distance itself from NGOs. The case helps illuminate how and why social movements differentiate themselves from NGOs and the challenges they face in doing so.RésuméLes Organisations Non-Gouvernementales (ONG) et les mouvements sociaux sont souvent tenus pour représentatifs de deux modes d’action distincts au sein de la société civile. Alors que les ONG sont perçues comme étant liées aux intérêts de leurs donateurs et principalement composées d’un personnel issu des classes moyennes, les mouvements sociaux sont considérés comme une expression plus authentique des mentalités populaires. Alors que les chercheurs ont comparé et contrasté ces deux formes d’organisation d’un point de vue théorique, il n’y a, en comparaison, que peu d’études sur la façon dont les acteurs de la société civile eux-mêmes conceptualisent la dichotomie entre ONG et mouvements sociaux et les conséquences de cette distinction sur leurs choix stratégiques. La Mission Kheti Virasat (MKV), qui travaille dans l’Etat du Pendjab dans le nord de l’Inde, constitute un cas d’étude pertinent pour explorer cette question. MKV est un de ces groupes de plus en plus nombreux qui, travaillant dans le domaine de l’agriculture durable, ont choisi d’adopter le mouvement social comme modèle d’organisation et de prendre leurs distances d’avec les ONG. Ce cas d’étude permet de mettre en lumière les raisons pour lesquelles les mouvements sociaux se distinguent des ONG et les défis qui résultent de ce choix.ZusammenfassungNicht-staatliche Organisationen und soziale Bewegungen werden einander innerhalb der Bürgergesellschaft häufig als zwei unterschiedliche Handlungsmodi gegenübergestellt. Während man bei den nicht-staatliche Organisationen davon ausgeht, dass sie die Interessen der Spender vertreten und sich hauptsächlich aus berufstätigen Mitgliedern der Mittelschicht zusammensetzen, werden soziale Bewegungen dagegen vielmehr als ein authentischer Ausdruck der Perspektiven der Basisorganisationen präsentiert. Zwar findet man in der akademischen Literatur einen abstrakten Vergleich bzw. eine Gegenüberstellung dieser beiden Organisationen, doch wurden bislang nur relativ wenige Forschungen dahingehend unternommen, wie die Akteure der Bürgergesellschaft selbst die Dichotomie zwischen den nicht-staatlichen Organisationen und der sozialen Bewegung konzipieren und wie sich dies auf ihre strategischen Entscheidungen auswirkt. Die im nordindischen Staat Punjab tätige Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) ist ein geeignetes Fallbeispiel zur Erforschung dieses Themas. Die KVM ist eine der vermehrt auftauchenden Gruppen im Bereich nachhaltiger Agrarwirtschaft, die für sich ein Organisationsmodell der sozialen Bewegung gewählt hat und sich selbst von den nicht-staatlichen Organisationen distanziert. Das Fallbeispiel trägt zum Verständnis bei, wie und warum sich soziale Bewegungen von nicht-staatlichen Organisationen differenzieren, und zeigt zudem die Probleme, die ihnen dabei begegnen.ResumenLas Organizaciones No Gubernamentales (ONG) y los movimientos sociales se yuxtaponen a menudo como dos modos diferentes de acción dentro de la sociedad civil. Mientras que las ONG son vistas como entes vinculados a los intereses de los donantes y compuestas fundamentalmente de profesionales de clase media, los movimientos sociales son presentados como una expresión más auténtica de las perspectivas de las bases. Aunque el material académico publicado compara y contrasta estas dos formas de organización a nivel abstracto, ha habido comparativamente poca investigación que explore cómo los actores de la sociedad civil conceptualizan la dicotomía ONG/movimiento social y cómo esto influye en su toma de decisiones estratégicas. La Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM), que trabaja en el estado de Punjab, en el norte de la India, es un caso útil para explorar esta cuestión. KVM es uno de un creciente número de grupos que trabajan en el campo de la agricultura sostenible que ha escogido adoptar un modelo de movimiento social de organización y distanciarse de las ONG. El caso ayuda a elucidar cómo y por qué…
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Journal of South Asian Development, 2020
Policymakers and practitioners in the field of skill development often carry individualist and na... more Policymakers and practitioners in the field of skill development often carry individualist and narrowly instrumental understandings of the reasons people enrol in their programmes. This article argues that people in the Global South seek to develop skills for a range of reasons, many of which are strongly influenced by their social environment and factors outside of their control. It presents the findings of a study involving surveys and semi-structured interviews with 53 trainees enrolled in agricultural skill development programmes in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas. Trainees’ responses were analysed to determine common ‘pathways’ to agricultural skill development programmes. Seven major pathways were identified: supporting one’s family; adopting commercial approaches to agriculture; managing a transition to agriculture after working in other sectors; gaining new knowledge; contributing to society; working from home; and developing a fallback option while see...
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Asian Studies Review
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Asian Studies Review
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Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South
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South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies
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Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10357823 2014 902746, May 1, 2014
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Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00856401 2015 1031086, May 6, 2015
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Third World Quarterly
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Youth Beyond the City
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Children's Geographies, 2017
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Antipode, 2015
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Annals of the American Association of Geographers
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South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 2013
After four and a half decades of Green Revolution agrarian development, the state of Punjab is no... more After four and a half decades of Green Revolution agrarian development, the state of Punjab is now, according to many commentators, in a state of social, economic and ecological crisis. In this paper, I interpret this crisis through a Gramscian lens as a ‘crisis of authority’, in the sense that while the dominant paradigm (the Green Revolution) can no longer provide solutions to the state's most pressing social problems, there is no clear single alternative either. This situation provides a political opportunity for non-hegemonic groups to articulate various other possibilities that address fundamental questions. This paper focuses on the work of one such group, the Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM). KVM is a civil society organisation that promotes ‘natural farming’ as a solution to the crisis in Punjab: natural farming is a chemical-free method of farming, which relies exclusively on materials available at the local level. This paper looks at KVM's methods of intervening in the crisis situation and examines the difficulties faced at the level of implementation. It argues that KVM's successes and failures highlight the uneven capacities of different classes and social groups to effectively respond to a ‘crisis of authority’.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Routledge Handbook of Food in Asia, 2019
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Agrarian Change, 2019
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2016
ABSTRACT The promotion of sustainable agriculture is a focal point for many civil society organiz... more ABSTRACT The promotion of sustainable agriculture is a focal point for many civil society organizations (CSOs) in India, including both development NGOs and grassroots organizations. In this article, I draw on three case studies of CSOs promoting sustainable agriculture in India, in order to evaluate their potential to address contemporary agrarian issues in a pro-poor manner. I argue that, whatever the technical merits of sustainable farming systems may be, CSOs are constrained in their ability to implement these systems in a manner that directly meets the needs of the rural poor. This is largely because, in order to achieve their goals, sustainable agriculture organizations usually must forge relations with at least five separate entities: the state, donor organizations, activist networks, rural elites and the rural poor. Strategic decisions must be made regarding which of these entities are prioritized and, for a variety of reasons, the leaders of sustainable agriculture organizations often prioritize relations with powerful actors rather than the rural poor. This is a major barrier to the development of models of sustainable agriculture that may address the needs of rural communities in the context of the contemporary agrarian crisis.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Critical Asian Studies, 2016
ABSTRACT Throughout the developing world, rapid urbanization is leading to new social relations a... more ABSTRACT Throughout the developing world, rapid urbanization is leading to new social relations and new conflicts between urban and (formerly) rural populations. This paper examines this process of change through a detailed examination of changing rural–urban relations in the town of Darjeeling, in the Himalayan foothills in Eastern India. In Darjeeling, increased rural mobility, accelerated rural-to-urban migration and the increased participation of rural people in local politics have led to major changes in the town. We demonstrate that the upward trajectory of rural classes who were previously subordinate is leading the more established urban residents to feel threatened, resulting in a redrawing of local political issues along rural–urban lines and a reconfiguration of class consciousness and social relations. The urban middle class, whose opportunities in the town have stagnated or declined, see rural migrants as a source of competition for increasingly scarce resources and blame them for the overall decline in the quality of urban life. They mobilize their (predominantly cultural) capital to reinforce markers of cultural distinction between them and the rural migrants and to delegitimize the political gains they have made. We argue that rural–urban conflict is emerging as the chief source of tension in the town and that this tension is largely grounded in class issues.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2012
Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and social movements are often juxtaposed as two distinct mod... more Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and social movements are often juxtaposed as two distinct modes of action within civil society. While NGOs are seen as being linked to the interests of donors and being composed primarily of middle-class professionals, social movements are presented as a more authentic expression of grassroots perspectives. While academic literature compares and contrasts these two forms of organisation in the abstract, there has been comparatively little research exploring how civil society actors themselves conceptualise the NGO/social movement dichotomy and how this influences their strategic decision making. The Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM), working in the North Indian state of Punjab, is a useful case for exploring this issue. KVM is one of a growing number of groups working in the field of sustainable agriculture that has chosen to adopt a social movement model of organisation and distance itself from NGOs. The case helps illuminate how and why social movements differentiate themselves from NGOs and the challenges they face in doing so.RésuméLes Organisations Non-Gouvernementales (ONG) et les mouvements sociaux sont souvent tenus pour représentatifs de deux modes d’action distincts au sein de la société civile. Alors que les ONG sont perçues comme étant liées aux intérêts de leurs donateurs et principalement composées d’un personnel issu des classes moyennes, les mouvements sociaux sont considérés comme une expression plus authentique des mentalités populaires. Alors que les chercheurs ont comparé et contrasté ces deux formes d’organisation d’un point de vue théorique, il n’y a, en comparaison, que peu d’études sur la façon dont les acteurs de la société civile eux-mêmes conceptualisent la dichotomie entre ONG et mouvements sociaux et les conséquences de cette distinction sur leurs choix stratégiques. La Mission Kheti Virasat (MKV), qui travaille dans l’Etat du Pendjab dans le nord de l’Inde, constitute un cas d’étude pertinent pour explorer cette question. MKV est un de ces groupes de plus en plus nombreux qui, travaillant dans le domaine de l’agriculture durable, ont choisi d’adopter le mouvement social comme modèle d’organisation et de prendre leurs distances d’avec les ONG. Ce cas d’étude permet de mettre en lumière les raisons pour lesquelles les mouvements sociaux se distinguent des ONG et les défis qui résultent de ce choix.ZusammenfassungNicht-staatliche Organisationen und soziale Bewegungen werden einander innerhalb der Bürgergesellschaft häufig als zwei unterschiedliche Handlungsmodi gegenübergestellt. Während man bei den nicht-staatliche Organisationen davon ausgeht, dass sie die Interessen der Spender vertreten und sich hauptsächlich aus berufstätigen Mitgliedern der Mittelschicht zusammensetzen, werden soziale Bewegungen dagegen vielmehr als ein authentischer Ausdruck der Perspektiven der Basisorganisationen präsentiert. Zwar findet man in der akademischen Literatur einen abstrakten Vergleich bzw. eine Gegenüberstellung dieser beiden Organisationen, doch wurden bislang nur relativ wenige Forschungen dahingehend unternommen, wie die Akteure der Bürgergesellschaft selbst die Dichotomie zwischen den nicht-staatlichen Organisationen und der sozialen Bewegung konzipieren und wie sich dies auf ihre strategischen Entscheidungen auswirkt. Die im nordindischen Staat Punjab tätige Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) ist ein geeignetes Fallbeispiel zur Erforschung dieses Themas. Die KVM ist eine der vermehrt auftauchenden Gruppen im Bereich nachhaltiger Agrarwirtschaft, die für sich ein Organisationsmodell der sozialen Bewegung gewählt hat und sich selbst von den nicht-staatlichen Organisationen distanziert. Das Fallbeispiel trägt zum Verständnis bei, wie und warum sich soziale Bewegungen von nicht-staatlichen Organisationen differenzieren, und zeigt zudem die Probleme, die ihnen dabei begegnen.ResumenLas Organizaciones No Gubernamentales (ONG) y los movimientos sociales se yuxtaponen a menudo como dos modos diferentes de acción dentro de la sociedad civil. Mientras que las ONG son vistas como entes vinculados a los intereses de los donantes y compuestas fundamentalmente de profesionales de clase media, los movimientos sociales son presentados como una expresión más auténtica de las perspectivas de las bases. Aunque el material académico publicado compara y contrasta estas dos formas de organización a nivel abstracto, ha habido comparativamente poca investigación que explore cómo los actores de la sociedad civil conceptualizan la dicotomía ONG/movimiento social y cómo esto influye en su toma de decisiones estratégicas. La Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM), que trabaja en el estado de Punjab, en el norte de la India, es un caso útil para explorar esta cuestión. KVM es uno de un creciente número de grupos que trabajan en el campo de la agricultura sostenible que ha escogido adoptar un modelo de movimiento social de organización y distanciarse de las ONG. El caso ayuda a elucidar cómo y por qué…
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Journal of South Asian Development, 2020
Policymakers and practitioners in the field of skill development often carry individualist and na... more Policymakers and practitioners in the field of skill development often carry individualist and narrowly instrumental understandings of the reasons people enrol in their programmes. This article argues that people in the Global South seek to develop skills for a range of reasons, many of which are strongly influenced by their social environment and factors outside of their control. It presents the findings of a study involving surveys and semi-structured interviews with 53 trainees enrolled in agricultural skill development programmes in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas. Trainees’ responses were analysed to determine common ‘pathways’ to agricultural skill development programmes. Seven major pathways were identified: supporting one’s family; adopting commercial approaches to agriculture; managing a transition to agriculture after working in other sectors; gaining new knowledge; contributing to society; working from home; and developing a fallback option while see...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Asian Studies Review
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Asian Studies Review
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Social Transformations: Journal of the Global South
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10357823 2014 902746, May 1, 2014
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00856401 2015 1031086, May 6, 2015
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In theory, chemical-free sustainable agriculture not only has ecological benefits, but also socia... more In theory, chemical-free sustainable agriculture not only has ecological benefits, but also social and economic benefits for rural communities. By removing farmers' expenses on chemical inputs, it provides them with greater autonomy and challenges the status quo, where corporations dominate food systems. In practice, however, organisations promoting sustainable agriculture often maintain connections with powerful institutions and individuals, who have vested interests in maintaining the status quo. This book explores this tension within the sustainable farming movement through reference to three detailed case studies of organisations operating in rural India.
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