TY - JOUR
T1 - Social production of vulnerability to climate change in the rural middle hills of Nepal
AU - Sapkota, Prativa
AU - Keenan, Rodney J.
AU - Paschen, Jana Axinja
AU - Ojha, Hemant R.
N1 - Funding Information:
Addressing vulnerability should begin with a deconstruction of historical, cultural and socio-political processes in order to arrive at the actual underlying causes of vulnerability. Climate change policies in Nepal are generally technocentric and deterministic ( Ojha et al., 2015 ). When asked why socially constructed vulnerabilities are not considered in climate adaptation policies, a climate adaptation expert responded: “ We need to acknowledge people's perception and experiences but it needs to be backed up by scientific approaches of assessing vulnerability, drawing upon climate conditions ” (Respondent – 107). This indicates that while the respondent acknowledged vulnerability is socially constructed, it is not considered in policy making and implementation. This is likely to intensify the impacts of climate change on marginalized groups. “ Criteria for getting international adaptation funding are underpinned by conducting standard and science based assessment of vulnerability ” the same respondent added. This clearly indicates that the requirement for funding from international bodies is driving the perception/attitudes of policy makers and practitioners, limiting the prospect of changing the adaptation potential of marginalised communities in Nepal. The problem starts at the global scale and affects how people might adapt at the local level.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - This paper explores the social roots of rural communities' vulnerability to climate change, based on a field study conducted from 2012 to 2015 in the Panchkhal region of the Kavre district in the middle hills of Nepal. Drawing upon Bourdieu's concept ‘field of practice’, we identify three themes that are helpful to generate insights into the way vulnerability is socially produced in the hamlets of this region: social isolation, financial authority, and knowledge based supremacy exercised by the community elites and public officials. These factors operate to sustain social hierarchies and consequently constrain the long-term adaptability of marginalised groups. Three emergent adaptive strategies are also identified: human mobility, collective action, and occupational change. We conclude that vulnerability to the effects of climate change continues to be a largely socially produced phenomenon, shaped by complex interactions between social, cultural, economic and political processes happening in different places at different time scales.
AB - This paper explores the social roots of rural communities' vulnerability to climate change, based on a field study conducted from 2012 to 2015 in the Panchkhal region of the Kavre district in the middle hills of Nepal. Drawing upon Bourdieu's concept ‘field of practice’, we identify three themes that are helpful to generate insights into the way vulnerability is socially produced in the hamlets of this region: social isolation, financial authority, and knowledge based supremacy exercised by the community elites and public officials. These factors operate to sustain social hierarchies and consequently constrain the long-term adaptability of marginalised groups. Three emergent adaptive strategies are also identified: human mobility, collective action, and occupational change. We conclude that vulnerability to the effects of climate change continues to be a largely socially produced phenomenon, shaped by complex interactions between social, cultural, economic and political processes happening in different places at different time scales.
KW - Adaptation
KW - Bourdieu's field of practice
KW - Cross-scale analysis
KW - Marginalized groups
KW - Middle hills Nepal
KW - Social vulnerability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84989170150&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.09.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.09.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84989170150
SN - 0743-0167
VL - 48
SP - 53
EP - 64
JO - Journal of Rural Studies
JF - Journal of Rural Studies
ER -
