Resilience in the Anthropocene: discourses of development, climate change, and security in South Asia

Abstract

The climate change debate in South Asia is deeply embedded in the broader frameworks of colonialism, technonationalist pride, national sovereignty, and distributive justice. The highly diverse and climate-vulnerable geographies that stretch between the Himalayas and tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, alongside the irreconcilable geopolitical rivalries in this region, make it a critical site of inquiry into concepts of resilience, development, and climate security in the Anthropocene. The article reviews the major debates and arguments surrounding the Anthropocene and its conceptual implications for the developing world. It highlights the role of colonialism, asymmetric power, and postcolonial developmentalism in shaping the politics and negotiating tactics of climate change in South Asia. Furthermore, it maps the emergent scholarship on resilience and climate security in the region that is engaging with the Anthropocene in the global South and foregrounding issues on the right to development, security, marginalisation of the poor, and climate vulnerability.