Society, Resistance and Civil Nuclear Policy in India Nuclearising the State Routledge Advances in South Asian Studies Series

This book explores how anti-nuclear social movements impact the state?s civil nuclear policy and its implementation by presenting a historical-comparative case study of anti-nuclear movements in India.

Drawing on social movement theory and empirical methods, the book demonstrates that the ability for anti-nuclear movements to impede the inception of nuclear plants ? a key element of India?s civil nuclear policy ? is determined by the movement?s collective action repertoires, the politicisation of nuclear power and the state?s larger developmental paradigm, and the openness of state input structures. The case studies of anti-nuclear movements in Haripur, Kudankulam and Kovvada demonstrate how the implementation of civil nuclear policy is also determined by the state?s technical and financial capacity and effective international collaboration.

With a focus on theorisation of social movements and their impact, combined with empirical studies of anti-nuclear movements, as well as the historical trajectory of civil nuclear development, the book adds a new prism to the study of India?s civil nuclear policy and anti-nuclear opposition. It will be of interest to researchers working on social movements, state-society relations, energy studies and civil nuclear energy in the context of South Asia and the Global South.

1. Introduction 2. Methodology 3. A Review of the Literature on Anti-Nuclear Movements in India 4. Theorising the Impact of Anti-Nuclear Movements on India’s Civil Nuclear Policy 5. A History of Civil Nuclear Energy Policymaking and Implementation in India 6. Case Study 1: The Movement against the Nuclear Plant at Kudankulam 7. Case Study 2: The Movement against the Nuclear Plant at Haripur 8. Case Study 3: The Movement against the Nuclear Plant at Kovvada 9. A Comparison of Variables and Outcomes 10. Conclusion

Varigonda Kesava Chandra is Research Associate at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore.