The politics of large numbers. A history of statistical reasoning

Hunter, Patti Wilger

doi:10.1007/bf02987012

Cited by 1 publication

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“…114 There is also likely to have been some Chandalas and Doms, since we know that even in the nineteenth century, these castes-along with middling castes such as Kaivartas and a sizeable number of poor Muslims-had a major presence in the 24 parganas beyond the southern and northern limits of Calcutta, and they often came into the city to sell forest products, baskets and other items as petty merchants. 115 In the eighteenth century, there was massive land reclamation and agrarian expansion in the 24 parganas, and this process had a symbiotic relationship with the existence of Calcutta and its markets. 116 Finally, the colonial archive itself provides important clues.…”

Section: Colonial Governance or Caste Conflict? The Politics Of Comme...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The politics of commerce in eighteenth-century Bengal: A reappraisal

Karak

2024

The Indian Economic & Social History Review

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This article broaches a simple question: Was there a politics of commerce within Bengali society in the eighteenth century, or was such politics limited to disputes between the British East India Company (EIC) and the Bengal nawabs? I begin by discussing the literature on markets in eighteenth-century Bengal and argue that the relationship between commerce and politics has been too narrowly defined in this body of work. A one-sided focus on determining the impact of the early colonial state, coupled with an uncritical acceptance of Peter Marshall’s Namierite story about the origins of the British empire, has led historians to downplay ideological conflicts within the EIC and British society. To show why these divisions matter, I build on the recent work of James Vaughn and Spencer Leonard, who have shown that between 1750 and 1770, political and ideological conflicts in both Britain and Bengal had far-reaching effects on the character of the British empire. Through an extended discussion of a dispute over market access in 1778 in the city of Calcutta, I show that petty merchants and shopkeepers often opposed arbitrary impositions by regional elites. To fully understand the motivations behind such challenges, I argue that we need to seriously consider divisions within Bengali society as well: namely, the reproduction of caste hierarchies through differential access to markets (and land).

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Section: Colonial Governance or Caste Conflict? The Politics Of Comme...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The politics of commerce in eighteenth-century Bengal: A reappraisal

Karak

2024

The Indian Economic & Social History Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The politics of large numbers. A history of statistical reasoning

Cited by 1 publication

References 2 publications

The politics of commerce in eighteenth-century Bengal: A reappraisal

The politics of commerce in eighteenth-century Bengal: A reappraisal

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