Land and Caste in South India
Agricultural Labour in the Madras Presidency during the Nineteenth Century

Originally published in 1965, this book presents a study of Indian agricultural workers in the Madras Presidency region during the nineteenth century.

Dharma Kumar (Author)

9781107644724, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 October 2013

224 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.3 cm, 0.29 kg

Originally published in 1965, this book presents a study of Indian agricultural workers in the Madras Presidency region during the nineteenth century. The text incorporates analysis of changes in population, in cultivation, the distribution of land among landlords, tenants and labourers, and discussion of the economic and social status of the labourer. The main economic factors which contributed to the growth of landlessness during the century are then considered, particularly the pressure of population on land. A glossary and select bibliography are also included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Indian history, agriculture and socio-economic history.

List of tables and figures
Acknowledgements and a note on certain conventions
Abbreviations
Map of the Madras presidency
Part I: 1. Introduction
2. The Agrarian background
3. Forms of agrestic servitude
4. The importance of agricultural labour in the first half of the nineteenth century
5. Official policy and the emancipation of the agricultural labourer
6. Official policy: land tenures and land revenue
Part II: 7. Land and population
8. Emigration
9. Wages
10. The growth of agricultural labour from 1871 to 1901
11. Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Asian history [HBJF]