Land and Social Power Relations in Bihar: Tale of Two Villages

Abstract

There is a complex relationship between land and the network of social power in Bihar, which cannot be comprehended by a single lens. This article argues that depending upon the historical and local contexts of a place, various patterns of social power configurations evolve, which present an opportunity for theorists to move beyond the established set of narrations and broaden their lenses, thereby challenging the conformity and reposing trust in variations based on day-to-day experiences. To highlight this varied pattern of complex relations between the network of social power and its historical linkages, the article tries to look into the local narratives of land relations of two villages of Samastipur district in Bihar, namely Shri Kameshwar Nagar and Banda. Through critical discourse analysis (CDA), the article attempts to illustrate that the shifting politico-economic status is intrinsically related to complex land relations, which, in turn, reinforces and perpetuates social inequality in various ways, and therefore, there is a need to have greater insight on the local histories of the land-relations.