“What Makes Darjeeling Tea Authentic?” Colonial Heritage in Contemporary Sustainability Practice in Darjeeling, India
Global Asian Studies Program Lecture Series
September 23, 2019
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
This presentation upholds the creative work of "artisanal" organic tea producers in contemporary Darjeeling as a situated form of resilience building. It underscores how male entrepreneurs use elements drawn from multiple discourse to portray a craftsman image to survive in a plantation-dominated economy. Male tea artisans combine elements of sustainable tourism, Gorkha identity, cosmopolitanism and colonial heritage to produce a unique narrative of "artisanal" tea production to create an economic niche for them. They see themselves actively resisting plantation based organic tea production and use technology and transnational networks to bolster their place in local and transnational markets.
While feminization of agriculture due to loss of steady agricultural income and male migration to cities for non-farm employment reflects the precocity of farming communities in contemporary India, a look at male artisanal tea producers brings to light a certain demographic within rural India (especially in marginal locations like Darjeeling).
Dr. Debarati Sen is the award-winning author of Everyday Sustainability: Gender Justice and Fair Trade Tea in Darjeeling (Albany: SUNY Press, 2017). Dr. Sen's research takes place at the confluence of cultural anthropology, development studies, gender studies, and conflict studies. Her research has been supported by a number of prestigious grants including Wenner-Gren and the National Science Foundation.
Date posted
Sep 10, 2019
Date updated
Sep 10, 2019