Popular resistance to Zamindari oppression in eastern U.P., northern India, 1920-60
This study examines popular politics in Uttar Pradesh with specific reference to Gorakhpur, Basti and Azamgarh bewtween 1920-60. The focus is on the politicisation of the kisans, ordinary men and women who were numerically the largest section of rural society. It is argued that their world views and political aspirations were informed by clearly defined notions of social justice and power relations, themselves based on particular problems stemming from the nature of julum, one of its meanings being the tyranny of the zamindars. This thesis makes extensive use of oral sources, utilising social anthropological tools and places greater weight on folk wisdom, local customs and cosmological beliefs. The social construction of gender is important to this study. It is argued that kisans' politics made no fundamental change to the pre-existing system of gender relations, because gender was not the object of protest. It is also argued that their political aspirations remained largely independent of official Congress politics: the kisans were not passive victims, but actively resisted and manipulated elements of elite domination by pronouncing their own goals. Although all kinds of popular associations with the environment,
Gopal, Kusum
1920-60; Kisans
Popular resistance to Zamindari oppression in eastern U.P., northern India, 1920-60. This study examines popular politics in Uttar Pradesh with specific reference to Gorakhpur, Basti and Azamgarh bewtween 1920-60. The focus is on the politicisation of the kisans, ordinary men and women who were numerically the largest section of rural society. It is argued that their world views and political aspirations were informed by clearly defined notions of social justice and power relations, themselves based on particular problems stemming from the nature of julum, one of its meanings being the tyranny of the zamindars. This thesis makes extensive use of oral sources, utilising social anthropological tools and places greater weight on folk wisdom, local customs and cosmological beliefs. The social construction of gender is important to this study. It is argued that kisans' politics made no fundamental change to the pre-existing system of gender relations, because gender was not the object of protest. It is also argued that their political aspirations remained largely independent of official Congress politics: the kisans were not passive victims, but actively resisted and manipulated elements of elite domination by pronouncing their own goals. Although all kinds of popular associations with the environment,
popular resistance oppression eastern northern india study_examines popular_politics specific_reference focus politicisation ordinary men_woman numerically large_section rural_society argue world_view political aspiration inform clearly_define notion social_justice power_relation base particular problem stem nature meaning tyranny make_extensive use_oral source utilise social anthropological tool place great weight folk wisdom local custom cosmological belief social construction_gender important study argue politics make fundamental_change pre_existing system gender_relation gender object protest also_argue political aspiration remain_largely independent official congress politics passive victim actively resist manipulated element elite domination pronounce goal although kind popular association environment