Claude Markovits tells the story of two groups of Hindu merchants from the towns of Shikarpur and Hyderabad in the province of Sind. Basing his account on previously neglected archival sources, the author charts the development of these communities, from the pre-colonial period through colonial conquest and up to independence, describing how they came to control trading networks throughout the world. While the book focuses on the trade of goods, money and information from Sind to the widely dispersed locations of Kobe, Panama, Bukhara and Cairo, it also throws light on the nature of trading diasporas from South Asia in their interaction with the global economy. This is a sophisticated and accessible book, written by one of the most distinguished economic historians in the field. It will appeal to scholars of South Asia, as well as to colonial historians and to students of religion.
In this pioneering history of modern India, Claude Markovits offers a new interpretation of events of world importance, focusing on the multiplicity of connections between India and the world. Beginning with an examination of India's evolving role in the world economy, he deals successively with the movement of people out of and into India, the role played by Indian soldiers in a series of conflicts from the mid-eighteenth to the late twentieth century, the place of India in the global circulation of ideas and cultural productions and the relationships established between Indians and others both abroad and at home. Challenging dominant state-centred histories by focusing on the lived experiences of people, Markovits demonstrates that the multiple connections established between India and other lands did not necessarily result in mutual knowledge, but were often marked by misunderstanding.
The 1930s was a critical decade in Indian politics. It saw the Congress Party begin its rise to political dominance, while Indian 'big business' strengthened its position in the economy. This book seeks to analyse the response of India's most important indigenous businessmen to the growth of political nationalism. Dr Markovits' study falls into three parts: an analysis of the structure of the business class, revealing its basic heterogeneity and lack of political unity; an examination of the impact of the Depression of the 1930s on the fortunes of Indian businessmen and on government economic policy; and a survey of the uneasy and changing relationship between businessmen and Congress at a time of political turmoil and realignment. Drawing heavily on the private papers of prominent businessmen as well as on a wealth of official sources, this is the first systematic study, on an all-India scale, of the political attitude of big business during the final and most crucial phase of the
In this pioneering history of modern India, Claude Markovits offers a new interpretation of events of world importance, focusing on the multiplicity of connections between India and the world. Beginning with an examination of India's evolving role in the world economy, he deals successively with the movement of people out of and into India, the role played by Indian soldiers in a series of conflicts from the mid-eighteenth to the late twentieth century, the place of India in the global circulation of ideas and cultural productions and the relationships established between Indians and others both abroad and at home. Challenging dominant state-centred histories by focusing on the lived experiences of people, Markovits demonstrates that the multiple connections established between India and other lands did not necessarily result in mutual knowledge, but were often marked by misunderstanding.
This book deals with three main aspects of the history of Indian business: The relationship between business and politics, the position of merchants and businessmen in the economy and society of late
Claude Markovits tells the story of two groups of Hindu merchants from the towns of Shikarpur and Hyderabad in the province of Sind. Basing his account on previously neglected archival sources, the author charts the development of these communities, from the pre-colonial period through colonial conquest and up to independence, describing how they came to control trading networks throughout the world. While the book focuses on the trade of goods, money and information from Sind to the widely dispersed locations of Kobe, Panama, Bukhara and Cairo, it also throws light on the nature of trading diasporas from South Asia in their interaction with the global economy. This is a sophisticated and accessible book, written by one of the most distinguished economic historians in the field. It will appeal to scholars of South Asia, as well as to colonial historians and to students of religion.
