Investigating the Waterfront: The Entangled Sociomaterial Transformations of Coastal Space in Karnataka, India

ABSTRACT

Triggered by urbanization and changing land use, coastal transformation is a rapidly increasing phenomenon in the global south, driving dramatic livelihoods impacts. However, the existing literature on small-scale fisheries (SSF) has paid little attention to the way coastal transformations shape conditions for SSF livelihoods communities. This study proposes a new orientation in SSF studies by exploring the assemblage of entangled sociomaterial processes that account for coastal transformations by investigating waterfront transformation in a fishing community in Karnataka, India. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, we conclude that an entanglement of sociomaterial processes produces unequal outcomes among stakeholders that subsequently reinforce the political and economic marginalization of certain groups of waterfront users. Moreover, the investigated context-specific waterfront assemblage intimately connects to the broader context of national fishery policy, urbanization, and tourism, directing the way coastal space can and should be transformed. Such an analysis contributes to the understanding of changing livelihoods in SSF communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Assemblage
• coastal transformation
• livelihoods
• material and social instability
• small-scale fisheries
• waterfront

Acknowledgments

We thank the three reviewers for their valuable suggestions to improve the article. We also thank the people of Tota-Bengre for the experiences they shared. All remaining errors are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Notes

Rani-Bale is a fishing net requiring 30–35 fishers and three boats to operate. In Tota-Bengre, there are nine Rani-Bale groups.

The “Indian blue revolution” refers to two periods of fisheries development. First, in the mid 1950s, the India government promoted fishery mechanization in many coastal states. The second blue revolution took place 30 years later, promoting aquaculture (Subramanian 2009).

The temple booklet record is a yearly booklet of the Mahavishnu temple festival, from the main temple in Tota-Bengre. The booklet content includes names of BMS committees, and names of fishing vessel owned by Tota-Bengre residents. The fishing vessels owners are obliged to pay contributions to the temple during the festival.