Du bien commun au commun : nouvelles pratiques de gouvernement des terres collectives et circulation des inégalités dans l’Himalaya indien

Abstract

In 1931, in order to defuse fierce peasants’ struggles in Uttarakhand (Indian Himalayas), the British colonial state transferred the administration of some common lands from the State to local populations. This paper analyses recent changes in this local policy in the village of Sarmoli. It shows how individuals from the urban elite, recently arrived in the village, set up an informal management committee that sought to deal with the crisis faced by the official management structure. Whereas the commons used to be a system of resources managed by a community of users, they became a collective practice of self-institution and self-government. Yet, by not taking into account all of the inequalities within the village society, the administration of the commons by these new actors have created fresh social distinctions and economic hierarchies in Sarmoli.

Keywords

• commons
• local land policies
• rural dynamics
• neo-rurality
• Himalayas