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The Political Economy of Indian Indentured Labour in the 19th Century

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  • Hui, Neha
  • Kambhampati, Uma

Abstract

Abolition of slavery in British Colonies led to the facilitation of Indian indentured migration by the British Government. This form of migration came about when the discourse of economic freedom and individual liberty strongly resonated in British political-economy circles, following the work of Adam Smith and J S Mill. We analyse how unfreedom in indentured labour was rationalised when the rhetoric of freedom was essential to the dominant intellectual milieu. We consider why free labour was deemed unfeasible in the plantation colonies. We also consider the constraints that asymmetric information and unequal bargaining posed to freedom within the institution of indenture. We conclude that indenture represented an uneasy compromise between the problems of slavery and the unattainable goal of free labour.

Suggested Citation

  • Hui, Neha & Kambhampati, Uma, 2024. "The Political Economy of Indian Indentured Labour in the 19th Century," SocArXiv 32nxv, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:32nxv
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/32nxv
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Groenewegen, Peter, 1992. "Alfred Marshall's Principles of Economics: A Centenary Perspective from the Antipodes," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(59), pages 219-233, December.
    2. Stephanie Barrientos & Uma Kothari & Nicola Phillips, 2013. "Dynamics of Unfree Labour in the Contemporary Global Economy," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(8), pages 1037-1041, August.
    3. Galenson, David W., 1984. "The Rise and Fall of Indentured Servitude in the Americas: An Economic Analysis," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(1), pages 1-26, March.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • B12 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Classical (includes Adam Smith)
    • B13 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Neoclassical through 1925 (Austrian, Marshallian, Walrasian, Wicksellian)
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J70 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - General
    • N43 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N36 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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