Berch Berberoglu (ed.)

India has undergone numerous transformations in the social, political and economic spheres during the second half of the twentieth century. To understand the origins and development of current trends, it is necessary to explore the process of change as it evolved during various stages -- the precolonial era, British rule, independence, and postindependence to the present.

The eleven essays in this volume adopt such an approach by focusing on the relationship between class and state and the transformation this relationship has undergone in the development process. Taken together, they provide a comprehensive historical perspective for an understanding of the root causes of stability and change in present-day Indian society.

The three essays comprising the first section trace the complex evolution of the Indian social formation from the Mughal days to the present through a discussion of caste, class and production relations in the context of the transition to capitalism. The next section is devoted to the development of capitalism in industry and commerce with a chapter on the role of female labor in capitalist production relations. The final section provides a discussion of the increasingly central role played by the labor movement in the political life of the country.

Together, these essays provide numerous insights into the nature and dynamics of Indian society from precolonial times to the present, addressing major controversies in Indian political economy.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

List of Tables

1. INTRODUCTION: Class, State, and Development in India in Historical Perspective

Berch Berberoglu

PART I

MODES OF PRODUCTION, SOCIAL FORMATION AND THE TRANSITION TO CAPITALISM IN INDIA

2.  The Mode of Production and Social Formation in India 

Anupam Sen

 

3.  The Indian Capitalist Class and Imperialism before 1947    

Bipan Chandra

 

4.  Capitalist Agriculture and Rural Classes in India

Gail Omvedt

PART II

CAPITALIST INDUSTRIALIZATION IN INDIA

5.  India's Capitalist Industrialization:  An Introductory Outline

Paresh Chattopadhyay

 

6.  The Development of Monopoly Capital in India

Ranjit Sau

 

7.  A Perspective on the Recent Phase of India's Economic Development

Prabhat Patnaik

 

8.  Women's Industrial Employment in India

P.M. Mathew

PART III

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT IN INDIA

9.  The Origins and Development of the Communist and Workers' Movement in India, with Focus on the CPI

G. Kotovsky

 

10. The Communist Movement and the Theory and Practice of Peasant Mobilization in South India 

Joseph Tharamangalam

APPENDIX

The Naxalite Legacy and the Political Economy of Contemporary India:   An Interview with Dev Nathan

Mark Selden

Notes on Contributors

To read the "Introduction" to this book, click here [pdf file]

Publication date:  1992

ISBN:  0-8039-9401-X (cloth)

0-8039-9402-8 (paper)

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