Social and Economic History of Assam, 1853-1921

This study unravels the under-researched aspects of social and economic history of Assam. It analyses the erosion of the old ruling class and disappearance of the traditional and artisanal industries and examines the extent to which foreign rule and intrinsic limitation were both culpable for the eventual decline. The remarkable resilience of handloom weavers is another area of investigation.

Introduction of the ryotwari land system, increase in cultivated acreage, introduction of cash crops, commercialization of agriculture and how a large section of marginalized peasantry broke into the labour market have been studied in depth. The author gives an interesting interpretation of the peasant uprisings in Kamrup and Darrang in the early 1890s.

He plumbs the origin of the Assamese middle class and shows how its class personality crystallized in a process of cooperation and confrontation. He marks out the creative and constructive role of the middle class so characteristically trivialized by many.

The impact of tea industry has been studied from a new perspective. Exploration of coal, petroleum, exploitation of the forest resources, floral and faunal disturbances have also been discussed.

This is regional history, but it fully takes into account the all-India background.