Brokering justice: global indigenous rights and struggles over hydropower in Nepal

This article explores the dynamics of brokerage at the intersection between the justice conceptions enshrined in global norms and the notions of justice asserted in specific socio-environmental struggles. It examines brokerage through the case of a small hydropower project in Nepal, tracing the attempts of an indigenous activist to enrol villagers in his campaign on the background of villagers’ everyday negotiations with the hydropower company. Our insights show how global norms, such as indigenous peoples’ rights, may fail to gain traction on the ground, or even turn into sources of injustice in particular contexts.