‘When orange becomes sweeter’: understanding climate variability, situated knowledge and development in an Eastern Himalayan region of India

Abstract

In contemporary times, climate variability has spurred interdisciplinary efforts to gauge the impacts of climate change. Drawing from field-based research in Arunachal Pradesh, India, this paper explores what constitutes ‘climate knowledge’ when bio-physical environmental changes are perceived differently among community members. To associate bio-physical realities with socio-cultural knowledge and practice, it is necessary to shift the frame of reference. This enables an interdisciplinary study of climate change that is more productive for both natural sciences and interpretative social sciences. We also discuss the hybrid nature of climate’s ontological and material relations emerging from colonialism, capitalism, and development, which further shape the relationship between community and environment. Finally, the article discusses the loss of Indigenous communities’ cosmological world-making practices in the context of weakening traditional livelihood practices and social cohesion. The paper suggests that climate change needs to be considered not only as a loss of biodiversity but also as a loss of culture when it comes to interpreting the environment.