Zamindars and Revenue Farmers of Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Key themes

Evolution of Land Tenure Systems

This theme explores the historical trajectory of land ownership, rights, and revenue collection methods from the Mughal period through the early British colonial era. It details how concepts of property, tenancy, and state's share of produce transformed, often becoming more formalized and rigid.

Impact of Colonial Administration

This theme analyzes how the policies and administrative interventions of the British East India Company profoundly altered existing social, economic, and political structures related to land. It examines the intentions behind colonial policies and their often complex and unintended consequences on various social groups.

Socio-Economic Stratification and Exploitation

The book meticulously details how changes in land tenure systems led to increased stratification within rural society, creating distinct classes of powerful landlords, intermediaries, and increasingly impoverished or indebted peasantry. It explores the mechanisms of exploitation, including high rents, arbitrary taxes, and forced labor.

Worth discussing

How did the transition from Mughal to British administration fundamentally alter the concept of land ownership and rights in Eastern Uttar Pradesh?