The role of markets in linking local communities to larger networks
of commerce, culture, and political power is the central element in
Anand A. Yang's provocative and original study. Yang uses bazaars
in the northeast Indian state of Bihar during the colonial period
as the site of his investigation. The bazaar provides a distinctive
locale for posing fundamental questions regarding indigenous
societies under colonialism and for highlighting less familiar
aspects of colonial India. At one level, Yang reconstructs Bihar's
marketing system, from its central place in the city of Patna down
to the lowest rung of the periodic markets. But he also
concentrates on the dynamics of exchanges and negotiations between
different groups and on what can be learned through the 'voices' of
people in the bazaar: landholders, peasants, traders, and
merchants. Along the way, Yang uncovers a wealth of details on the
functioning of rural trade, markets, fairs, and pilgrimages in
Bihar. A key contribution of "Bazaar India" is its many-stranded
narrative history of some of South Asia's primary actors over the
past two centuries. But Yang's approach is not that of a detached
observer; rather, his own voice is engaged with the voices of the
past and with present-day historians. By focusing on the world
beyond the mud walls of the village, he widens the imaginative
geography of South Asian history. Readers with an interest in
markets, social history, culture, colonialism, British India, and
historiographic methods will welcome his book.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
