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<p>In coal mining regions of India, decisions to stay in place amid environmental and socio-economic transformations are deeply intertwined with questions of immobility, climate change, and social inequalities. This paper examines how voluntary and involuntary immobility shape livelihood and intersect with everyday survival in the coal economy. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2019 and 2022 among coal-dependent Adivasi communities in Jharkhand, India, we explore how immobility emerges as a coping strategy in the face of displacement threats, environmental degradation due to coal mines, and India’s climate action, particularly transitioning away from coal. While the dominant narrative often argues migration as an adaptive response to climate change, this study highlights the agency of those who choose or are compelled to remain. The findings reveal that immobility is a product of structural constraints, such as inadequate compensation schemes and restricted access to resources and opportunities, and a conscious decision to preserve cultural identity among coal-dependent Adivasi communities, inter-community ties and land-based livelihoods. This paper draws attention to a more critical understanding of resilience and vulnerability in coal mining regions by situating immobility within the broader context of climate adaptation, social and climate justice in India. Our analysis contributes to debates on equitable climate policies and development practices by emphasising the need to address the underlying inequalities of immobility in the most vulnerable communities.</p>

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Staying in place: Immobility of Adivasi communities in the Coal Mining Regions of Jharkhand, India

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月31日

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  • Nikas Kindo,
  • Ajmal Khan A.T.,
  • Archana Kujur

摘要

In coal mining regions of India, decisions to stay in place amid environmental and socio-economic transformations are deeply intertwined with questions of immobility, climate change, and social inequalities. This paper examines how voluntary and involuntary immobility shape livelihood and intersect with everyday survival in the coal economy. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2019 and 2022 among coal-dependent Adivasi communities in Jharkhand, India, we explore how immobility emerges as a coping strategy in the face of displacement threats, environmental degradation due to coal mines, and India’s climate action, particularly transitioning away from coal. While the dominant narrative often argues migration as an adaptive response to climate change, this study highlights the agency of those who choose or are compelled to remain. The findings reveal that immobility is a product of structural constraints, such as inadequate compensation schemes and restricted access to resources and opportunities, and a conscious decision to preserve cultural identity among coal-dependent Adivasi communities, inter-community ties and land-based livelihoods. This paper draws attention to a more critical understanding of resilience and vulnerability in coal mining regions by situating immobility within the broader context of climate adaptation, social and climate justice in India. Our analysis contributes to debates on equitable climate policies and development practices by emphasising the need to address the underlying inequalities of immobility in the most vulnerable communities.