Economic History Of Modern South Asia P1 – Latika Chaudhary

What affected society most seemed to be the intro- duction of the colonial land systems – that is, zamindari and raiyatwari. They simplified the intricate layers of customary rights and gave exclusive landown- ership to a selected class in rural society. The period between 1850 and 1950 covered by this chapter, on the one hand, experienced the results of such early institutional changes and, on the other, went through qualitatively new devel- opments.

While the colonial land systems continued to play a fundamental role in transforming rural society, the deepening involvement of people in colonial rule and the global economy opened new fields in rural and urban areas. In this chapter, I study some of the major economic fields of the period and trace the transformation of South Indian society before independence. Two monsoons bring contrastive patterns of rainfall in south India. While the Western Ghats provide the Malabar Coast with sufficient rainfall even for plantation crops, the east side has less than 1,000 millimetres rainfall annu- ally and often suffers from severe water scarcity.

Increasing rice production, which is only possible with the help of stable irrigational facilities and can Regional Patterns of Economic Change: South India support a much larger population than coarse grains, has been the long-time target for the eastern area. Irrigation was also essential to stabilize produc- tion as every few years monsoons fail to produce rainfall. For these reasons, dams, watercourses and reservoirs have been constructed for centuries.

For instance, the Grand Anicut, a dam controlling the Cauvery river distributar- ies, was constructed in the ancient period and made the Tanjore delta one of India’s most densely populated areas in the late nineteenth century. In the area outside the river deltas, on the other hand, many reservoirs that gather and store rainfall for a certain period had been constructed for irrigational agriculture.

South Asia’s economies, as well as the scholarship on their eco- nomic histories, have been transformed in recent decades. This landmark new reference history will guide economists and his- torians through these transformations in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Part 1 revisits the colonial period with fresh perspectives and updated scholarship, incorporating recent research on topics such as gender, caste, environment and entrepreneurship. The contributors highlight the complex and diverse experiences of dif- ferent groups to offer a more nuanced understanding of the past.

Part 2 focuses on economic and social change in South Asia over the last seventy-five years, offering a comprehensive view of the region’s historical trajectory. Together, the contributions to this volume help to reassess the impact of colonialism through a more informed lens, as well as providing analysis of the challenges and progress made since independence.

LATIKA CHAUDHARY is Associate Professor of Economics at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Her recent publications include ‘Railways, development and literacy in India’ in the Journal of Economic History (2023) and ‘The growth contribution of colonial Indian railways in comparative perspective’ in Economic History Review (2024). TIRTHANKAR ROY is Professor of Economic History at the London School of Economics. His publications include Water and Development: The Troubled Economic History of the Arid Tropics (2025) and Origins of Colonialism (2025). ANAND V. SWAMY is Class of 1924 Professor of Economics, Williams College.

He is a co-author of Law and the Economy in Colonial India (2016) and Law and the Economy in a Young Democracy (2022). T HE CA M BR I D GE ECO N O M IC H I S T O R Y O F MODE R N S O U T H ASI A * P ART 1 Colonial India: 1757–1947 * Edited by LATIKA CHAUDHARY Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California TIRTHANKAR ROY London School of Economics and Political Science ANAND V.

SWAMY Williams College, Massachusetts Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8EA, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia 314–321, 3rd Floor, Plot 3, Splendor Forum, Jasola District Centre, New Delhi – 110025, India 103 Penang Road, #05–06/07, Visioncrest Commercial, Singapore 238467 Cambridge University Press is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a department of the University of Cambridge.

We share the University’s mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108833035 DOI: 10.1017/9781108966788 © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2026 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

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