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Looking at history as a study of change, the author argues that the mainspring of change in the economy and society of the Gorkhali Empire of the eighteenth century is to be found not among the peasantry but in the political decision of the hill state of Gorkha to expand its territories. The king and the ruling elite reaped direct benefits from territorial expansion but for the workers and peasants, territorial expansion meant over-taxation, enslavement, forced labour services and other burdens. The book argues that the workers and peasants paid not only for the ambitions of their kings and political leaders, but also for their follies and rivalries.
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With reference to 19th century; includes source materials.
“Statemaking and Territory in South Asia: Lessons from the Anglo–Gorkha War (1814–1816)” seeks to understand how European colonization transformed the organization of territory in South Asia through an examination of the territorial disputes that underlay the Anglo–Gorkha War of 1814–1816 and subsequent efforts of the colonial state to reorder its territories. The volume argues that these disputes arose out of older tribute, taxation and property relationships that left their territories perpetually intermixed and with ill-defined boundaries. It also seeks to describe the long-drawn-out process of territorial reordering undertaken by the British in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that set the stage for the creation of a clearly defined geographical template for the modern state in South Asia.
Living Martyrs details the life histories of two important Nepalis, Tanka Prasad Acharya and his wife Rewanta Kumari. Tanka Prasad was the founder of the first Nepali political party, and was imprisoned for ten years for his complicity in a plot to overthrow the Ranas. This is his story of a crusade against the autocratic Rana regime: it is also the story of Rewanta Kumari's struggle to keep the family together during the years of oppression and to further her husband's efforts in bringing an end to the rule of the Ranas. The author presents the life experiences of the Archaryas as narrated to him, which makes the book an excellent interactive biography. The parallel narratives of Tanka Prasad and Rewanta Kumari illustrate the gendered nature of history. James Fisher highlights the importance of oral narratives in the reconstruction of a balanced account of the past. Living Martyrs presents an overview of the various theoretical positions in the study of resistance. This book is a rich source for Nepali culture and a view of Nepali history from the political underside.
An analysis of gender and property throughout South Asia which argues that the most important economic factor affecting women is the gender gap in command over property.