The Peasant Question and Contemporary Capitalism: Some Reflections with Reference to India

Abstract

An economic policy regime under the sway of neoliberalism, or laissezfaire, puts tremendous pressure on peasant agriculture. This article argues, with a special focus on India, that during the current phase of capitalism, this is exactly what is happening in the developing world. During the dirigiste phase of India’s development, which spanned from decolonization to the end of the 1980s, the nationalist development project gave a boost to the agricultural sector and ushered in capitalist development in the countryside. However, as the pursuit of an autonomous capitalist development has been compromised in the neoliberal period, the Indian peasantry has come under severe strain and, in many ways, this is reminiscent of the colonial rule when policies similar to neoliberalism prevailed.