This paper deals with one such group of peasants- the artisanal fishers of Kerala who, in the late 20th century, have had to struggle against the effects of processes of technological change and economic ‘reform’ which have severely disadvantaged and increasingly marginalised them so that there have been at times fears that they would have the very basis of their work and existence taken from them. The paper concludes that Fishers as a group have traditionally had little by way of political organisation. This is in part because fishers are scattered along the coast – Kerala has 250 or more fishing villages along its 590 km coastline. In part also it is because the nature of their occupation takes them out to sea in small groups – or even individually – most days of the year so that socialisation has been difficult. What this Kerala (and NFF) story tells therefore is a story of 25 to 30 years of unprecedented organisation among fishers as a result of their efforts to overcome their disadvantages and as a result of support from groups such as the clergy. That support has not been without its problems because it has, at times, tied the fishers’ movements into the broader agenda of the Church and its allies – although the radicalisation of elements of the clergy have negated that effect to a considerable extent.