From: The Journal of the American Oriental Society | Date: October 1, 1994| Author: Berkemer, Georg | COPYRIGHT 1994 American Oriental Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The author describes in eight very dense chapters a dark side of British rule in India. Taking his material from the records of seven districts of the Ganges-Jumna Doab, he provides a study of the ecological consequences of the extension of cash-crop cultivation, which was forced upon the peasants in the first half of the 19th century, causing environmental changes severely affecting the inhabitants of the area.

The first two chapters are introductory and sketch the rese...