Climate Change and Cultural Practices in South Asia

Featuring contributions from fifteen leading and emerging scholars of the environmental humanities, this groundbreaking volume explores human creativity and artistry in the face of climate change through a focus on multiple narratives, mediums, and forms in South Asia. Home to a quarter of the world’s population and rich in cultural and geographic diversity, South Asia offers a compelling case for exploring the impacts of climate change on diverse cultural forms. From the river deltas of Bangladesh, megalopolises in India, mountain tops of Nepal, glaciers in Pakistan, and cities in Sri Lanka: climate change has indelibly altered landscapes and people. Bringing together a rich array of methodologies from different disciplines – including ethnography, creative nonfiction, visual analysis, and ecocriticism – this book positions climate change discourse within everyday practices, epistemologies, and infrastructures. Showcasing multidisciplinary perspectives, chapters explore the profound impacts of environmental change, centering human creativity as a vital lens for understanding one of the most urgent crises of our time. Ultimately, the book underscores the necessity of cultural, collaborative, and cross-border practices in addressing climate change. This important volume will be of interest to scholars and postgraduate students in the fields of art and visual culture, South Asian studies, human geography, architectural studies, and environmental anthropology. It will also appeal to NGO, multilateral, and international institutions investigating the cultural and creative ramifications of climate change in South Asia.