The Transition to a Colonial Economy: Weavers, Merchants and Kings in South India, 1720–1800

Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society

by Prasannan Parthasarathi

In a challenge to the widespread belief that poverty and poor living standards have been characteristic of India for centuries, Prasannan Parthasarathi demonstrates that, until the late eighteenth century, laboring groups in South India were in a powerful position, receiving incomes well above subsistence. It was with the rise of colonial rule, the author maintains, that the decline in their economic fortunes was initiated. This is a powerful revisionist statement on the role of Britain in India that will interest students of the region, and economic and colonial historians.

Genres: India

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Prasannan Parthasarathi is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Boston College.

Reviews

[Mariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The argument is that poverty and low wages for Indian weavers resulted from colonial rule and emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the 18th century, weavers enjoyed economic and political power and a stable position.

This is a dense, well-argued and well supported book that greatly informed my (limited) understanding of British colonialism in India. Parthasarathi documents the conditions and relationships of weavers in South India extremely well, and very clearly shows the transition that occurs in the end of the 18th century with the rise of colonial rule. To summarize, the British imported English discipline but not English rights leading to the emergence of a despotic colonial power. Parthasarathi also shows how the rise of British power was facilitated by local political and economic conditions along with indigenous cooperation.

Although this is a dense (I am saying it twice because it is really dense. That's three times) book, it is well worth the effort. It is extremely well written, it is about a subject that I am not intimately familiar with but was immensely more knowledgable about after reading, and its argument is convincing and satisfying. It is an academic text, but I would recommend it to anyone willing to put the time in.

[Bronte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim, and lo and behold it was great. Dense academic subject but the author doesn't write that way, you get pulled in and it goes pretty fast. Weaving seems like a narrow topic but has huge implications.