The political ecology of shrimp aquaculture in Tamil Nadu: A case study from Mayiladuthurai District

This article uses a political ecology lens to analyze the impact of shrimp aquaculture in Tamil Nadu, with a case study of a coastal village in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu, India. The article first looks at the shrimp industry in the coastal village as a case that illustrates how global capitalism influences the local economy. Second, it identifies ecological degradation due to the commodification of nature and analyzes the social origins of degradation. Commodification alienates nature and people from each other, and its impacts are unevenly felt across social strata, especially class, gender and caste lines. The article finally discusses the intersectionality of social differences and differentiates how the impacts of commodification are experienced and responded to.