Disrupted Sand Flows, Artisanal Fishers, and the Making of Coastal Protection in Southern India

Flowing parallel to the sea, sand is subject to erosive, accretive, and extractive processes and is intertwined with the socio-ecological dynamics at the land–sea interface. Human interventions, climate change, and societal responses to it are constantly reshaping the morphology of coastal areas and thus disrupting sand flows, for example, through the construction of harbours or groins to prevent erosion. In this article, we ask how disrupted sand flows shape the interaction and social dynamics between different coastal actors in the making of coastal protection. Empirically, we ground our research in the Pondicherry region of southern India, characterised by a sandy morphology and numerous fishing communities. Building on the literature on “geosocialities,” we argue that engaging with the materialities of ocean sand and the social implications of sediment loss for artisanal fishers is crucial to reducing maladaptation. Following sand as a non-human actor unravels the social entanglements with ocean sand that underpin the implementation of protective measures and that shape access to sandy beaches for artisanal fishers. By exploring these contestations, we show how the reclamation of sand through groins is embedded in unequal power relations over shrinking beaches. While migration to other sandy beaches becomes a necessary means of adaptation, this leads to local conflicts over coastal space. We conclude by highlighting the need to understand coastal adaptation as a geophysical and socially intertwined process, in which ocean sand must be critically considered for future adaptation strategies.