ABSTRACT
The chapter examines the necessity of feminism in just transitions in India, particularly in forest areas where the Forest Rights Act of 2006 came in as a paradigm-shifting legislation in the law of forests. It begins with an account of the relationships between land, forests and women in India. It investigates the Forest Rights Act, 2006, to understand how it creates possibilities of a shift in paradigm and discusses the provisions it has specifically for women. The chapter narrates stories of women from four Indian states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. These stories reveal how forest dwelling women have used the law to, in their own way, engender a transition. Adivasi women encounter laws and policies as a matter of routine. Their accounts come from various states across the country and yet, tell a similar tale. The stories are full of accounts of love, devotion, oppression and struggle. They represent women’s engagement with forests and its significance in their lives, both individually and collectively, and emotionally and intellectually.
