Uncommon Cause - 9780520395510

University of California Press

Uncommon CauseLiving for Environmental Justice in Kerala\nAuthor(s): John Mathias\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: University of California Press, United States\nImprint: University of California Press\nISBN-13: 9780520395510, 978-0520395510\nSynopsis\nHow can activists strike a balance between fighting for a cause and sustaining relationships with family, friends, and neighbors?Uncommon Causefollows environmental justice activists in Kerala, India, as they seek out, avoid, or strive to overcome conflicts between their causes and their community ties. John Mathiasfinds twocontrasting approaches,each offering distinctpossibilitiesfor anactivist life. One set of activists repudiates community ties and resists normative pressures; for them, environmental justice becomes a way of transcending all local identities and affiliations, even humanity itself. Other activists seek to ground their activism in community belonging, to fight for their own people. Each approach produces its own dilemma.