UTS cross-disciplinary thesis now published as book

A PhD thesis that began in the UTS School of Built Environment, before extending across disciplines into the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, has now been picked up and published by Routledge. Indigenous Question, Land Appropriation, and Development by Gautam Pingali examines tensions between indigenous communities, government and private companies in Jharkhand – one of India's most mineral-rich states, and the birthplace of India's indigenous movements. Dr Pingali is pictured above with PhD supervisor Prof Sara Wilkinson.

"The indigenous people of Jharkhand have a synergistic relationship with their land – while the government wants to use that land for national development, and private corporations seek to profit by setting up industries," explained Dr Pingali. "Indigenous groups often don't have formal land titles, and their customary land titles are not recognised by the State." This means that such land can often be deemed state land, with indigenous occupants getting displaced – in the supposed interest of economic development, yet without consultation or collaboration.

Without such collaboration, displaced communities often see their original land developed with infrastructure such as electricity provision, while the areas they have been resettled in lack these facilities. Perhaps no wonder then that as more people are displaced, instances of protest increase.

Dr Pingali has experienced the effects of such protests first-hand, having grown up in the Jharkhand region and seeing entire cities effectively go on strike in demonstrations known as bandh. Part of the solution proposed in this book is to see the government shift from "top down, paternalistic solutions" to a more consultative approach.

As a thesis conceived within a property economics context, Dr Pingali's research began with supervision from UTS School of Built Environment. However, as a work of development studies – exploring how different ideologies fit into perceptions of 'development' – support from Prof James Goodman and UTS Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences helped to ensure the outcome was validated by theory and literature from within the social sciences. A process Dr Pingali felt was most beneficial: "the expertise brought was incredible."

Indigenous Question, Land Appropriation, and Development: Understanding the Conflict in Jharkhand, India was published on 27 December 2022 by Routledge India.