The State versus Indigenous Peoples: The Impact of Hydraulic Projects on Indigenous Peoples of Asia

This paper discusses the historical relationship between states and indigenous peoples. It deals specifically with how nations in their drive to industrialize must choose between national identity and economic development, on the one hand, and on the other, the survival of an apparently negligible segment of their societies, the indigenous peoples. Drawing on case studies of the Batang Ai dam in Sarawak, Malaysia, the Narmada Valley Project in India, and the Three Gorges Project in China, this study examines the divergence between macro- and micro-interests, most clearly illustrated by the egregious impacts of hydraulic projects on indigenous peoples of Asia.