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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

Other faces of Development

presenters

    Daipayan Ghosh

    Nationality: India

    Residence: India

    Presence:Online

This paper is the outcome of an ethnographic study conducted in the Indian state of West Bengal. The study focused on two areas: the Santhal adivasi of Birbhum district and a Bengali caste village in Paschim Bardhhaman district. The former area is set to be acquired by the State Government for a coal mine project, while the latter area is already being used as a coal mine site. Another dichotomy is Santhals of Birbhum district are protesting against the 'Development' program, whereas in Paschim Bardhhaman they now live in a rehabilitation village. In both of these cases, unity revolves around the involvement of the Other in a 'Development program', namely Santhals and the Bengalis. But the finding shows that there is not only Other but also Others. The presence of these various Others will play a crucial role in this paper. It seems that the process of Othering initiated by someone outside the Other is the primary step, but this also happens within the Other. To distinguish these Others, I denote them as 'Significant Other', who can be a group or any individual. As they are significantly omitted from any decision-making. Following Derrida's deconstructive method, this paper will show that landless Santhals and the lower caste Bengalis are the 'Significant Other'. Since they were never asked for their decision during the protest and on the issue of rehabilitation respectively. My paper's major theoretical input will be the Deconstruction of the term 'Other.' Previously anthropologists, sociologists and philosophers talked about the term extensively, but they never go beyond the term itself. As a result, it has always escaped a rigorous examination. But the paper will try to demonstrate the presence of 'Significant Other' who has long been absent under the banner of 'Other'.

Keywords:

Development; India; Other