Agricultural production and Indian history / edited by Ludden David

This book looks at agricultural produc tion in colonial India, as well as its historiography then and now. It consists of nine major essays on these themes. These are tied together by the editor's introduction.

Recent studies have shown how specific forms of commercialization redefine the agrarian landscape of a region, alter the temporal rhythms of production, and reallocate peasant labour. Agrarian historians also now try to understand how ecological contexts shape systems of production. They show how the complex relations between credit, market and production are mediated by structures of power.

All these questions and debates find place within this volume. In his Introduc tion, the editor charts out how the theme has developed. He analyses the process through which colonial knowledge about agricultural produc tion was textualized, and he discusses the shifting focus within agrarian studies. This book will interest all scholars of India's agrarian and colonial history.