Patriarchy and the Pangolin
When two young women are hired to carry out conservation research, they discover that India is a large jungle – larger than they ever imagined. Their study of trees reveals a complex world in which the greatest threat to pangolins and imperilled species is
Indian men and patriarchy.
Tramping across North India, the women encounter men, man-made obstacles, and bureaucratic corruption, but forge ahead with satire and self-deprecating humour. Their many stories give us the voices of people and species oppressed or marginalised. Several anecdotes show daily battles against research methods and policies that bury lived
life in dry data.
Environmental research is more about lives and livelihoods than data, says Aditi Patil. She makes us feel the pulse of life hidden by statistics. Women farmers, forest dwellers, rustics, and researchers come exquisitely alive in this entertaining and persuasive book.
“a great mix of humour and reflective seriousness.”
NAYANJOT LAHIRI
“Under the cover of irresistible humour, Patriarchy and the Pangolin ambushes the reader with unsettling questions about Indian society and the world of research. A bittersweet delight.”
JEAN DRÈZE
Author
ADITI PATIL was born in Mumbai. She has worked on diverse conservation projects with WWF India, Columbia University, and the Gujarat Forest Department.
The cover was specially hand-painted by the artist Sheela Roy. Based in Calcutta, she was born in 1937 and works with acrylic, watercolours and pastel. The painting for the cover of Patriarchy and the Pangolin is done in ink and acrylic.
Details
A BLACK KITE BOOK, copublished with Hachette India
Paperback
World rights
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