From Scarcity to Catastrophe: Famines, Colonial Policy, and the Political Economy of Hunger in India (1858–1947)
| Author |
| Tariq Ahmad Kumar & Malik Tazim Nazir |
| Date of Publication: June, 2026 |
| Volume: XXVI, No.- XXIX |
| DOI:10.65734/tgi.ssei.avp.ijcsss.ti.26.29.8 |
| Abstract |
| This paper examines the nature of famine in colonial India under Crown rule (1858 1947) with the central objective of understanding it as a structural and historically conditioned phenomenon rather than a series of isolated crises. It seeks to analyse how economic policies, administrative priorities, and market mechanisms shaped patterns of vulnerability and access to food. Drawing on the theoretical insights of Amartya Sen and B. M. Bhatia, the study emphasizes the role of entitlement, price movements, and state intervention in determining outcomes. The paper further aims to evaluate the evolution of colonial policy responses and their limitations, situating them within broader historiographical debates on the impact of British rule. By doing so, it highlights how famine serves as a critical lens to understand the political economy of colonial governance and its long-term implications for food security in India. |
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