JHARKHAND: The Broken Promise

Jharkhand: The Broken Promise is a critical exploration of the contradictions of development, democracy, and social justice in one of India's most resource-rich yet historically marginalized states. Bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, the book examines how neoliberal economic policies, fragile democratic institutions, and entrenched structures of inequality continue to shape the lived realities of Jharkhand's people. Through discussions on poverty, caste, gender, land rights, education, language, ecology, labor, and health, the volume reveals how dominant models of development often overlook historical injustice, cultural identity, and the rights of indigenous communities. Grounded in field-based research among Adivasi and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) communities, including the Savar, the book highlights the structural roots of issues such as displacement, informal labor exploitation, school discontinuation, and child marriage. At the same time, it critically interrogates the role of political leadership, electoral discourse, and populist narratives in sustaining unequal power relations. Moving beyond critique, Jharkhand: The Broken Promise also foregrounds indigenous knowledge systems, collective welfare traditions, and ecological ethics as foundations for imagining alternative pathways of inclusive and democratic development.

Pagina's: 239, Paperback, Shabdasampan Publishers