This article examines rumour and gossip among the tea workers in the south Indian state of Kerala in the context of recent economic crisis in the Indian tea industry. It argues that gossip and rumour may have distinct effects with regard to resistance and accommodation in the crisis-ridden plantations. The analysis of the gossip shows that the workers are critical of the plantation management, trade unions and the Kerala state for failing to ensure their means of livelihood during the crisis period. In this context, gossip functions as a form and agent of resistance which further shows that the workers were conscious of their exploitation. On the other hand, the ethnographic data presented in this article suggest that rumour is an effective instrument for the control and disciplining of workers in the crisis context.

中文翻译：

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危机时期的谣言和八卦：南印度种植园边境的抵抗和适应

本文以印度茶业最近的经济危机为背景，探讨了印度南部喀拉拉邦茶工之间的谣言和八卦。它认为，在危机重重的种植园中，八卦和谣言可能对抵抗和适应产生不同的影响。对八卦的分析表明，工人批评种植园管理、工会和喀拉拉邦在危机期间未能确保他们的生计。在这种情况下，八卦起到了抵抗的形式和代理人的作用，这进一步表明工人意识到了他们的剥削。另一方面，本文提供的人种学数据表明，谣言是在危机背景下控制和惩戒工人的有效工具。