SABB: Conceptualising labour coercion in 19th century famine relief work, Amal Shahid

South Asia Brown Bag Fall 2020
Conceptualizing labor coercion in 19th-century famine relief work.
Amal Shahid (The Graduate Institute Geneva, International History)
Contact southasiabrownbag@yale.edu to receive the registration information and the ZOOM link.
During the late 19th century recurring famines in India, relief to the affected population was provided by the colonial state through employment on public works such as roads, canals and railways in addition to charitable relief. This paper will examine coercion of labour employed on public works as part of famine relief efforts by the colonial state. Placing famine-affected population on construction work was based on the assumption that famine poverty was a result of a lack of wages rather than food. Particularly, given the aim to reduce costs of relief provision, the vulnerable famine population was expected to perform heavy tasks in order to increase labour productivity. Therefore, while the colonial state attempted to emerge as a provider of welfare to the population, the colonial administration in provinces and districts acquired a closer relationship with labour. Construction of roads and railways in ordinary times was carried out by begar (compulsory, unremunerated labour) as part of the village system; by convicts; or by casual labour especially during non-harvest times, usually recruited through an intermediary. The famine administration decided to manage the famine affected population directly, prohibiting the use of contracts on famine relief works. In this manner, coercion of labour beyond the vulnerability of famine was placed directly in the hands of the colonial administration. In the presentation, I will show coercion as part of labour relations and labour processes in famine relief based construction work in the North-Western Provinces of colonial India, using archival sources such as private correspondences, minutes of evidence, published government reports, newspapers, and personal accounts.