In the Belly of the River: Tribal Conflicts over Development in the Narmada Valley

This book provides an account of the lives of Bhilala adivasis in the Narmada valley who are fighting against displacement by the Sardar Sarovar dam in Western India. On the basis of intensive fieldwork and historical research, this study places the tribal community in the context of its experience of state domination. The author challenges current theories of social movements which claim that a cultural critique of the "development" paradigm is writ large in the political actions of those ma…