Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

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THE PAKISTAN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW 

Muhammad Saleem Kamdar. Development of Capitalism in Agriculture: An Essay on the Nature of Transformation (Change) of the 19th Century Agrarian Structure of Sindh Province in Pakistan. Stuart, Florida. 1996. 146pp.Paperback. price not given.

This study examines the nature of ‘transformation’ or ‘change’ in the agrarian structure of the then western part of India (now Sindh province of Pakistan). It employs a Marxist-Structuralist framework in contrast to earlier, mainly historical, studies. The author indicates that development or change is a long-term process which involves relations between producers and others (landed aristocracy, agricultural traders, and the state) involved in the agricultural structure. And he considers ‘change’ or ‘development’ as a consequence of interactions between the ‘forces of production’ (inputs, technology, and natural resources) and the ‘relations of production’ (control of the forces of production). The major objective of the author’s analysis is to determine whether or not British control of Sindh for more than a century resulted in a major implementation of capitalism in agriculture.

Richard A. Levins