Conclusion: Science, Power and the Struggle for Legitimation

Abstract

This book has illustrated how the globally contested issue of GM crops translated into a local legitimation struggle in Telangana, one which contributed to challenges to the legitimacy of the state government. It argues, however, that the conflict concerning Bt cotton in Telangana is embedded within worldwide struggles at local, national and global levels to secure a legitimate exercise of power in the negotiation of risk. These conflicts can be seen as a re-assertion of the social dimension of existence in resistance to the ‘individualisation of risk’ (Beck, Risk society: towards a new modernity. Sage, London, p 99, 1992) in risk society. This book also claims that attempts to construct knowledge with regard to risk have heightened an awareness of the need for ‘epistemological decentralisation’ (Pieterse, Development theory: deconstructions/reconstructions. Vistaar, New Delhi, p 89, 2001) and studies which avoid ‘methodological nationalism’ (Beck, World at risk. Polity Press, Cambridge, p 210, 2009). These aspects aim to push the boundaries of knowledge construction to incorporate a critical global awareness. This is crucial to promoting a response to risk which is informed by concerns for global justice.