Social Transition in a Ladakhi Village, northwestern India : The Relation between Man and Nature in the Mountainous Area

• Yamaguchi Takayoshi

  日本学術振興会特別研究員 ; 京都大学地域研究統合情報センター

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• ラダーク地域における村落の変容 : 山地における人と環境の結びつきに関する考察

Abstract

Although mountainous areas have been considered to be generally isolated, today, the livelihoods of the inhabitants of these areas are rapidly changing through more linkages with the external world. Anthropologists and geographers have analyzed the use of the natural environment in these areas from the viewpoint of "verticality, " a concept that should be reassessed in keeping with the recent social transition. The objectives of this study are to describe the recent changes in the mountain community and to discuss the transformation in the use of the environment on the basis of a case study of a Ladakhi village in northwestern India. Half of the people who were born in the village stay outside it in order to go to school or work. Ladakh is a disputed territory among India, Pakistan, and China. Thus, a major part of the village population joins the army; alternatively, they work as transporters or cook in the army camps. Ladakh is also a popular tourist site and villagers earn money by serving as drivers and tourist guides. Since grain prices have fallen owing to the food distribution policy, crop farming is no longer considered to be an income source, which promotes out-migration and diplomacy. The decline in agriculture and village hollowing might gradually weaken the organic and social linkages in a valley; thus, it is necessary to broaden the scope of the current concept of verticality rather than treating it as a watershed concept.

Journal

• ヒマラヤ学誌

  ヒマラヤ学誌 11 78-90, 2010-05-01

  The Association for the Studies of Himalaya, Kyoto University ; High Altitude Project in Research Institute for Humanity and Nature

Keywords

• Mountainous area
• Village community
• Off-farm works
• Mixed agriculture
• Ladakh

Details

• CRID: 1390853649770088448
• NII Article ID: 120005466165
• NII Book ID: AN10392447
• DOI: 10.14989/hsm.11.78
• HANDLE: 2433/186065
• ISSN: 09148620
• Text Lang: ja
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • IRDB
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Allowed