Workers’ Mobilization in Malabar Fisherya Study of Fishers’ Struggle of 1984
Keywords:
Malabar, Labour, Fishery, Struggle, Class, community, West CoastAbstract
The present paper is an attempt to analyze the nature of the fishers’ struggle of 1984. This struggle was a historic one that lasted for fifty days. This struggle was mooted by a combination of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the trade union, Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF), floated by the Jesuit Fathers. Even after two months’ struggle the organizers had to call it off without fetching any considerable result. This is not to argue that this struggle was a failure. Instead, this paper examines why this strike fanned the flames of primordial loyalties and sectarian identities among the participants and observers. Thus, it failed to create an atmosphere of class contest. Along with this, this paper also looks into the question of the hampered development of class consciousness among the fishers. This strike also manifested the limitations of labour mobilization by the NGOs among the fishers of Kerala.
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