Indian Sundarbans
VOLUNTEERING FOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND DISASTERS IN THE INDIAN SUNDARBANS
This project is led by Professor Matt Baillie Smith which was initiated in partnership with Jadavpur University as part of the UKRI-GCRF Living Deltas Research Hub wider collaborative project.
It is part of the Voluntary Labour, Climate Adaptation and Disasters (VOCAD) research area of work at Northumbria University’s Centre for Global Development.
OBJECTIVES
- To conceptualise the different kinds of voluntary labour mobilised for climate adaptation and disaster response in the Indian Sundarbans.
- To analyse the different ways voluntary labour is managed and governed in strategies for adaptation and disaster response by the civil society and private sector.
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To assess the impacts of voluntary labour on adaptation, climate response and participants’ lives.
- To increase understanding and awareness of the role of voluntary labour in disaster response and adaptation.
- To increase understanding of the importance of voluntary labour in climate adaptation strategies and disasters in the Indian Sundarbans, and beyond, providing evidence and insight to support improvements in policy and practice.
TEAM
Principal Investigator
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Consultant Research & Impact Fellow
Sumana Banerjee is an interdisciplinary expert on climate adaptation, with particular knowledge and expertise on the impacts of the changing climate in the Indian Sundarbans. She has particular interests in the gendered dimensions of climate adaptation, as well as extensive expertise of collaborating with civil society organisations and with marginalised communities. Her work has shaped a range of key policy debates at different scales, as well as being published in leading academic journals.
Research Fellow
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Research Fellow
Janet Clark is a social researcher with particular interests in volunteering for development, inequality and social justice. She has expertise in engaging marginalised and excluded groups in research processes in the UK and also a range of counties across Africa, South Asia and Asia Pacific. She has undertaken volunteer-focused research in community, clinical and prison settings in numerous countries and has worked for Voluntary Services Overseas, Saferworld and the Ministry of Justice as well as a number of UK statutory and civil society organisations. Her research has been used to inform the design and development of volunteering programmes and interventions and in some instances to inform policy.
Research Fellow
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Research Assistant
Yagnaseni Mitra works in publication support services as an academic editor specialising in psychology and psychosocial healthcare. She works primarily with Asian authors for publications such as Taylor and Francis, Elsevier, Wiley etc. At present, she is also involved in the VOCAD project in the capacity of a research assistant. Yagnaseni also has experience in transcription and translation work (D.A.G. Museums and Newcastle University), and continues to be involved in projects with the Living Waters Museum.