Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> lands
This paper focuses on the spiritual and gendered experiences of dwelling-in-uncertainty in the context of Bengali <i>char</i> lands. <i>Chars</i> are temporary sandbanks in the river that continuously erode and re-emerge as the river changes course, thereby subjecting their i...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/906 |
| _version_ | 1797508605223632896 |
|---|---|
| author | Annemiek Prins |
| author_facet | Annemiek Prins |
| author_sort | Annemiek Prins |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper focuses on the spiritual and gendered experiences of dwelling-in-uncertainty in the context of Bengali <i>char</i> lands. <i>Chars</i> are temporary sandbanks in the river that continuously erode and re-emerge as the river changes course, thereby subjecting their inhabitants to repetitious cycles of losing and regaining land. In this paper I take the ethnographic literature on Bengali <i>chars</i> as a point of departure for exploring what the radical uncertainty of climate change might mean in a context where erosion or land loss does not necessarily involve the irreversible loss of a particular habitat, but often coincides with the anticipation of return. In analyzing the gendered ways in which <i>char</i> dwellers navigate this spiraling cycle of land loss and return, I draw specific attention to the churning, immaterial and spiritual powers that reside below and beyond the water, thereby highlighting the ways in which people are caught up in a land/waterscape that is only knowable to some extent. Whereas debates around climate change often treat religion and spirituality as either obstacles to knowledge or vehicles of meaningful storytelling, this paper deliberately foregrounds the more-than-human forces that linger at the periphery of people’s perception and knowledge of the world. In doing so, the paper seeks to move beyond probabilistic notions of climate change and adaptation towards a diverse understanding of the existential uncertainties of the Anthropocene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:07:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a585329d7e5644c88ea6a874df53b449 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:07:12Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-a585329d7e5644c88ea6a874df53b4492023-11-23T01:15:39ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-10-01121190610.3390/rel12110906Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> landsAnnemiek Prins0Department of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies, Radboud University, 6500 HC Nijmegen, The NetherlandsThis paper focuses on the spiritual and gendered experiences of dwelling-in-uncertainty in the context of Bengali <i>char</i> lands. <i>Chars</i> are temporary sandbanks in the river that continuously erode and re-emerge as the river changes course, thereby subjecting their inhabitants to repetitious cycles of losing and regaining land. In this paper I take the ethnographic literature on Bengali <i>chars</i> as a point of departure for exploring what the radical uncertainty of climate change might mean in a context where erosion or land loss does not necessarily involve the irreversible loss of a particular habitat, but often coincides with the anticipation of return. In analyzing the gendered ways in which <i>char</i> dwellers navigate this spiraling cycle of land loss and return, I draw specific attention to the churning, immaterial and spiritual powers that reside below and beyond the water, thereby highlighting the ways in which people are caught up in a land/waterscape that is only knowable to some extent. Whereas debates around climate change often treat religion and spirituality as either obstacles to knowledge or vehicles of meaningful storytelling, this paper deliberately foregrounds the more-than-human forces that linger at the periphery of people’s perception and knowledge of the world. In doing so, the paper seeks to move beyond probabilistic notions of climate change and adaptation towards a diverse understanding of the existential uncertainties of the Anthropocene.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/906<i>Chars</i>waterriversreligiongenderclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Annemiek Prins Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> lands Religions <i>Chars</i> water rivers religion gender climate change |
| title | Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> lands |
| title_full | Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> lands |
| title_fullStr | Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> lands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> lands |
| title_short | Slippery Entanglements: Spiritual and Gendered Experiences of Uncertainty in the Riverine Context of Bengali <i>Char</i> lands |
| title_sort | slippery entanglements spiritual and gendered experiences of uncertainty in the riverine context of bengali i char i lands |
| topic | <i>Chars</i> water rivers religion gender climate change |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/906 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annemiekprins slipperyentanglementsspiritualandgenderedexperiencesofuncertaintyintheriverinecontextofbengaliicharilands |