Beyond the ‘feminisation of vulnerability’: social reproduction, gender, and ecological crisis in riverine India

Das, Sampurna (2026) Beyond the ‘feminisation of vulnerability’: social reproduction, gender, and ecological crisis in riverine India. Environmental Sociology. pp. 1-14. ISSN 2325-1042

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Abstract

This paper engages with the persistent discourse of the ‘feminisation of vulnerability’ by focusing on chars (unstable river islands) of Assam, Northeast India. Building on growing feminist political ecology literature and through ethnographic analysis, it highlights how mainstream policy and development frameworks often homogenise women and their vulnerability. Instead of viewing women as passively burdened, the paper sees vulnerability as co-produced by class struggles and global agricultural practices – shaped by household and reproductive roles, and intertwined with religious and moral discipline. Bringing the concept of social reproduction to the centre, the study shows that the ecological crisis not only increases hardship but also redesigns gender norms and power relations for both women and men, reshaping the daily work of sustaining life, meaning, and relationships under conditions of systemic breakdown. Overall, the paper advocates for situating women within intersectional realities, shifting the focus from passive vulnerability to relational power, agency, and situated knowledge amidst socio-ecological change.

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Das, Sampurna
Document Language:	Language English
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Feminisation of vulnerability, Global South, feminist political ecology, intersectionality, Assam
Subjects:	Social sciences > Sociology & anthropology > Factors affecting social behavior > Human ecology Social sciences > Sociology & anthropology > Communities > Planning and development > Development Social sciences > Economics > Macroeconomics & related topics > Factors affecting income and wealth > Poverty
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru > School of Development
Full Text Status:	None
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/7656
Publisher URL:	https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2026.2691096

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