This paper demonstrates that local knowledge systems are inherent elements of people's capacity to forecast natural hazards and thereby reduce disaster risk. It describes the local knowledge systems prevalent among traditional fishworkers in Kerala to predict and forecast coastal hazards. Apart from diverse techniques of participatory inquiry, in-depth interviews were carried out with 400 fishing households across 20 marine fishing villages of the state. The socially constructed nature of coastal hazards is demonstrated as a holistic phenomenon namely kolu. The empirical knowledge related to forecasting and prediction of kolu is thus explained in terms of biotic, oceanic, atmospheric and celestial spheres. This paper asserts the need for effective community-based early warning systems that are deeply embedded in the livelihood struggles and lifeworld of marginalised resource-dependent communities.
This paper attempts to capture the socially constructed nature of risk by analyzing the discourses embedded in community beliefs, myths and experiential narratives regarding coastal hazards and fishworkers' livelihoods. This paper draws insights from the works of James Scott on power and resistance in the everyday life of marginalized populations. Qualitative data for the study was collected using semi-structured interview schedules, in-depth group interviews, oral histories and storytelling across twenty marine fishing villages in Kerala. A significant finding of the study is that the communal discourse of coastal hazards or kolu is an integral part of fishworkers' resistance against formal authority and scientific knowledge systems in coastal management. The myths and beliefs of fishworkers are expressions of their concerns about present forms of development and coastal resource management.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.