NOMADIZATION IN RAJASTHAN, INDIA - MIGRATION, INSTITUTIONS, AND ECONOMY

Despite a global trend toward settlement the incidence of pastoral nom adism is on the rise in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India. Typical explanations for this change use models of population pressure; incre asing herds and decreasing pasture are held to blame. This explanation , however intuitive, is unsatisfactory. Instead changing institutional and economic patterns are creating new contexts for strategic movemen t. Bottleneck in the yearly resource calendar caused by the disintegra tion of obligatory social relationships, force migrations during perio ds of scarcity. Changes in the volume and pattern of the meat and wool markets have also created opportunities for migrating pastoralists. P roducers increase their access to markets and the reproductive rate of their herd through long, annual: migration. While nomadism is a gener al adaptation to changes in the socioeconomic conditions of the region , differential resource endowments account for the range of strategies ; wealthy herders have opportunities not enjoyed by more marginal prod ucers.