Title: Recounting double exception in Kalinganagar

Authors: Biswajit Mohanty

Addresses: Department of Political Science, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, India

Abstract: Dislocation and state of exception blend seamlessly within the development process. But Kalinganagar is the intersection of double exception whose loop of exceptionality extends beyond it. The first exception is at the level of sovereign that treats the resisting tribes as enemy of the mainstream development model. The state by violating all norms tries to subjugate and subsequently eliminate not only the movement actors but also any dissenting voices against the current development process. For the dislocated tribes, resistance remains the only means to escape exception, protect their bhitamati and re-establish relatedness. The other level of exception is at the resistance sphere which is opposing the domination of power of the police, political representatives, private companies, and the mainstream media. For the movement as well as the state the prevailing conditions become exception: normal conditions of relatedness that prevailed before no longer exist. Everybody becomes a suspect, everything an exception.

Keywords: dislocation; displacement; bhitamati; state of exception; camps; primitive accumulation; relatedness; double exception; Kalinganagar; dissenting voices; development process; dislocated tribes; resistance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMBS.2016.075575

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, 2016 Vol.2 No.2, pp.149 - 161

Received: 09 Feb 2015
Accepted: 23 Jul 2015

Published online: 28 Mar 2016 *

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