Colonial State, Agrarian Transition and Popular Protest in Orissa: 1921-1947 attempts to understand the agrarian socioeconomic transition that took place during colonial rule, in the provinces and the princely states of Orissa. Here the peasantry, both tribal and non-tribal, actively participated in anti-imperialist mass movements for independence. Established in 1803, colonial rule shaped the base for mass movement to flourish in later periods.
This book deals with the theory of peasant nationalism in India in general, and Orissa in particular, providing a broad historical outline of the Nationalist Movement in the Gandhian period. Although some regional studies have focused on peasant and tribal movements in Orissa, the present book is the first to delineate the agrarian socioeconomic structure of Orissa with reference to land relations. It also discusses the role of the peasantry during the National Movement in Orissa, tracing the role of the Krushak Sangh in British Orissa and of the Prajamandals in the princely states in the late 1930s. This book argues that the socio-economic position of the peasantry proved to be a social force during anti-imperialist mass movements, culminating in the independence of India.