Transformations on the Bengal Frontier: Jalpaiguri 1765-1948

Description

An analysis of the socio-economic changes brought about by colonial rule in a frontier area of Bengal, Jalpaiguri. Challenging long established debates focused around the powers of dominant groups over a settled peasantry, this book broadens our perspective on the 18th century, promoting a deeper understanding of the change-over from the pre-colonial to the colonial era. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Tables List of Maps Acknowledgements Abbreviations Glossary Introduction One Continuity and Change in Frontier North Bengal c.1765–1865 Non-sedentary production and inter-community exchange: the Dooars and Rangpur to 1865 The pre-British system of surplus extraction: the Dooars, 1765–1865 Extending and taming the frontiers, Baikanthapur and beyond, 1765–1820 Consolidation and conflict: North Rangpur, 1765–1850 Two A Tribal Society in Transition? c.1700–1890 Dissemination of puranic Hinduism, 1600–1890 The inroads of 'Islam', 1700–1890 The nature of pre-colonial society, c.1900 Three Foundation of the Colonial Structure, c.1865–1895 The extension of a tradition: the land revenue settlement in the Dooars, 1865–1895 Introducing new avenues of resource utilisation: formation of state forests and tea gardens Immigration and emigration: a new demographic structure for the Dooars, 1870–1900 Four Sustaining the Colonial Structure: Nature of Authority and Control, 1890–1947 The political economy of control in the tea gardens Planters and the hierarchy of power The sardars and the management of production The source of power and the nature of control in the agrarian sector Five Formation and Expression of New Identities Sanskritisation or the emergence of a middle class consciousness? Consolidation of the Rajbanshi-Kshatriya identity, 1891–1935 In search of 'pure' Islam, 1890–1937 Six The Temporal Dynamics of the Colonial Structure, 1905–1947 Land and agriculture: commercialisation and polarisation to 1916 The tea industry: growth, conflict and adjustment, 1910–1929 Confronting the Great Depression, 1929–1939 Creating conditions for change: The Second World War and after, 1939–1947 Seven Opposing Colonial Rule: 'Nationalism' and Popular Movements, 1905–1948 Congress and the Jotedars, 1920–1942 The Kisan Sabha, Communists and the Adhiars, 1939–1947 Resistance without patrons: tea garden workers, 1905–1947 Entry of the leaders: a new direction to labour resistance? Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index