Naukar, Rajput, and Sepoy
The Ethnohistory of the Military Labour Market of Hindustan, 1450–1850

This book firmly roots the history of the British Indian sepoy in India'a medieval past.

Dirk H. A. Kolff (Author)

9780521523059, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 8 August 2002

236 pages
21.7 x 14 x 1.8 cm, 0.339 kg

"...the argument that military free agency, or naukari, was an important career alternative for late medieval Indian peasants is compelling and energetically sculpted, making this a welcome addition to the social and economic history of South Asia." Richard B. Barnett, The International History Review

This is a study of an aspect of the ethnohistory of North Indian peasant society: the importance of its military labour market for state and sect formation, for social change as well as for the energetic survival strategies of the villages of Hindustan. It traces the history of the British Indian sepoy to at least as far back as the fifteenth century, firmly rooting him in India's medieval past. It also shows that, from the anthropological point of view, not the hierarchically arranged castes, but the multiple alliances and fluid identities of the peasantry were the central phenomena of North Indian politics and decision making.

Preface
List of abbreviations
Glossary
1. Beyond the control of the state
2. A Warlord's fresh attempt at empire
3. The Rajput of pre-Mughal North India
4. Politics and entrepreneurship of a 'spurious' Rajput clan
5. Bhojpuri soldiering and the vicissitudes of Empire
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], Asian history [HBJF]