Abstract
In this chapter, I offer an analysis of Sinha’s Animal’s People, a rousing critique of the mainstream language of rights. Sinha’s novel, in referring to the rights discourse circulating after the 1984 Bhopal industrial accident, shines a light on environmental disasters as a key arena in the ongoing battle for rights, especially in the context of citizens’ struggles against the state. In my analysis, I first highlight the strengths of Sinha’s critique: how he correctly identifies neoliberal ideology in the conjoined discourse of environmentalism and rights, and how he makes clear that rights can only really be acquired through collective struggle(s). Then I discuss a couple of limitations of Sinha’s critique, including how he fails to clarify the relationship between the state, the citizen, and collective struggle.