Book Description

Recent transformations in Sri Lanka's agrarian structures have been both complex and uneven. While the overall direction of change has been towards a more capitalist form of organization, the process of transformation has been heterogeneous, contradictory, and, furthermore, varied widely from region to region. This volume explores both the range and the complexity of these processes by bringing together a set of ethnographic studies conducted in six of Sri Lanka's nine provinces. All thirteen essays trace the changes that have occurred in the four decades since independence. Contributors combine enthnographic with historical research and place their respective analysis of agrarian change within local cultural contexts. They treat agrarian change as a dynamic social process and convey a sense of how that change is experienced by the villagers. A number of common themes run through the collection, including the interplay between local initiatives and state policies; the complex ways in which capitalist schemes of production interact with existing agrarian institutions; and the refashioning of local identities as village life is incorporated into ever-widening circuits of economic, political, and cultural relations. With its new research data and unique theoretical perspectives, this volume will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, development economists, social and economic historians, agricultural economists, and those studying rural development and agrarian change in South Asia. "Book as a whole does go beyond accounting for economic changes, and provides multiple and integrated approaches to studying agrarian transformation elsewhere." --Contributions to Indian Sociology "A useful book, providing a wealth of detailed ethnographic evidence concerning the influence of capitalist relations of production on smallholder agriculture in Sri Lanka. It concludes with a helpful glossary giving translations and definitions of local terminology." --Third World Quarterly "The book is an exploration of the process of development and its impact on the lives of people. It is a very useful addition to the literature on Sri Lankan development studies." --Business Standard "What's inside the covers will interest scholars beyond the usual robe, rice, and plough set; this book amply demonstrates why no analysis of agrarian change can ignore the cultural and symbolic dimensions of agrarian activity." --Journal of Asian Studies