Contesting Conservation

Chapter 1: Introduction.- 1. Wildlife and forest conservation in J&K: an introduction.- 2. Political ecology: approaches and analytical framework.- 3. Theoretical positioning.- 4. Contesting conservation: what this study contributes.- 5. Chapter layout.- Chapter 2: Jammu and Kashmir: contextualising conservation in specific sites.- 1.1. Jammu and Kashmir: an introduction.- 1.2. Field locations.- 2.1. Ethnography of conservation interventions.- 2.2. Description of fieldwork.- 2.3. Research in the context of violent conflict.- Chapter 3: Tibetan Antelope and Shahtoosh Shawl: a brief history.- 1.1. Chiru and its habitat.- 1.2. The shahtoosh wool: myths and realities.- 2.1. From raw wool to finished shawl: the production process.- 2.2. Shahtoosh workers: population and distribution.- 3.1. Origin and development of the shawl industry.- 3.2. Marginalisation and exploitation of the shawl workers: pre-independence.- 3.3. Shahtoosh workers and the new state: post-independence.- 4. Conclusion.-Chapter 4: The Ban on Shahtoosh: sustainability for whom?.- 1.1. The ban on shahtoosh: a chronology of events.-  1.2. The prospects of chiru farming: observations of the 'expert group'.- 2.1. Weak enforcement and split role of the state.- 2.2. Shawl workers response to the ban: protest and politics.- 3.1. The trade continues: illegality and shadow networks of shahtoosh.- 3.2. Militancy and shahtoosh: exploring the connections.- 4.Conclusion.- Chapter 5: The Micropolitics of the Ban on Shahtoosh: costs and reparations.- 1.1. The origin of wool and the unpopularity of the ban.- 1.2. Different categories, differential impact.- 1.3. Machines and adulteration.- 1.4. Decreasing wages, increasing prices: strategies of labour exploitation and control.- 1.5. Declining social prestige and cultural heritage.- 2.   Rehabilitation and alternative livelihoods: accountability of whom?.- 3. Conclusion.- Chapter 6: Forests, State and People: a historical account of forest management

Saloni Gupta's research interests include political ecology, sociology of work, development sociology and cultural studies. She holds a master's degree in Sociology from the University of Jammu, India, and a PhD in Development Studies from the University of London, UK, for which she received a Commonwealth Fellowship. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in India on issues related to wildlife and forest conservation, and has taught courses on environmental sociology, globalisation and development studies at universities in India, the UK and Germany. She is currently working as an independent researcher in India.