This Fissured Land: An Ecological History of IndiaIn the first part of the book, the authors present a general theory of ecological history which attempts a paradigm shift from Weberian and Marxian theories of human society. Here they ask under what conditions humans exercise prudence in their use of natural resources; they examineinfrastructures, property systems, political ideologies, religions, social idioms and the belief structures that characterize human interactions with resource bases; they analyse the varieties of social conflict that appear over the exploitation of natural resources; and, finally, they explore theimpact of changing patterns of resource use upon human societies.In the second part the authors provide a fresh interpretive history of pre-modern India. They also provide, in this section, an ecological interpretation of the caste system which adds a significant dimension to existing ideas on caste.In the third part the authors draw on a huge wealth of source material to offer a socioecological analysis of the modes of resources use which were introduced by the British, and which continued, with modifications, after Independence in 1947. (This is a paperback edition of the HB issued in1992.) |
Contents
A THEORY OF ECOLOGICAL HISTORY | 9 |
TABLES | 60 |
4 Features of social organization | 66 |
Copyright | |
16 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
Agaria agrarian agriculture animals Baigas bamboo Brahman Brandis British Cambridge caste groups cent century changes clear-felling colonial communities conflicts conservation continued cultural Delhi deodar Dhangars Dietrich Brandis district earlier ecological economic elephants Elwin endogamous groups Environment environmental eucalyptus European exploitation farmers forest department forest laws forest management forest policy forest produce forestry fuel Gadgil gatherers Government Press grazing Guha habitat harvesting Himalaya human hunter-gatherers hunting India Indian Forester Jainism Jaunsar Jaunsar Bawar jhum Karnataka Kunbis labour Madhya Pradesh Madras Maharashtra Malhotra ment modes of resource Nandiwallas niches nomadic organized pastoral peasant period plant plantations population Pradesh production progs protection r-strategists railway Ramachandra raw material reserved forests resource base restrictions revenue rural sector shifting cultivation social society species subcontinent subsistence sustained teak territorial timber tion tonnes tracts traditional trees tribals tropical University Press Uttara Kannada village Western Ghats wood World