ME 273 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Analog Science Fiction And Fact, Cash Crop, Karamoja
2 May 2018
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“How is poverty, especially in post-colonial states, a modern phenomenon?”
According to some definitions, poverty can be considered as the state in which a person’s
income level falls beyond a given minimum. This is the level which is “necessary to meet basic
needs” (e.g. food, water and shelter) and varies according to time and place. (Jones, P. 1259)
Taking this definition into consideration, a significant portion of the world’s population can be
considered poor, majority of which can be found in the Third World. While it needs to be
understood that poverty has existed throughout most of human history, this kind of mass poverty
(especially in the Third World) is a distinctly modern phenomenon. The squalor and plethora of
unmet basic needs that the Global South finds itself entangled in can be owed to the wide-
ranging legacy of colonialism, and the capitalist institutions that championed it such as the East
India Company, both of which can be considered offshoots of modernity.
In order to obtain a better understanding of the current state of the Third World with regards
to poverty, it is necessary to look back at the past, to pre-modern times, and to analyze the
structures set in place to counter this kind of widespread human suffering which these states have
grown accustomed to today. Taking the example of pre-colonial India under Mughal rule, it can
be observed that the area was considerably more well-protected against famine (which ravaged it
during British rule). Before the establishment of a national grain market, “…village-level food
reserves were larger, patrimonial welfare more widespread, and grain prices in surplus areas
better insulated against speculation.” (Davis, P. 285) During times of shortage, a ban was
imposed on the export of food, free food was distributed amongst the population without
enforcing forced-labor in return and the grain trade was strictly policed, with severe punishments
in place for those found guilty of short-changing peasants. (Davis, P. 286) Farmers were also
relieved of taxes and rent. The laws of the Mughals were more flexible, open to variation
according to climactic and ecological conditions, which stand in sharp contrast to the laws
imposed later by the British.
Examples of state intervention during times of crises can be found in pre-colonial China as
well, with food being distributed free of cost amongst those afflicted and grain prices being kept
in check by the rulers themselves. The state was actively involved in famine-prevention and
relief, investing heavily in improving agricultural infrastructure and transportation. In China,
under the Confucian administration, “Two million peasants were maintained for eight months,
until the return of the monsoon made agriculture again possible.” (Davis, P. 281) Taking into
consideration the more localized example of North-East Uganda in Africa, which suffered
heavily during colonial rule, it can be observed that the population lived in harmony with nature,
keeping in mind the delicate ecological balance of the area, and thus preventing crises such as
famine. Animals grazed the land, encouraging the growth of grass which in turn prevented soil
erosion, dry vegetation was annually set ablaze to control the spread of harmful organisms and
replace nutrients in the soil through the nitrogenous ash, and finally, the inhabitants practiced
cultivation during the wet season by permanent settlements along the river, with young men
moving to temporary camps during the dry season in order to provide grazing land for their
herds. (Mamdani, P. 67)
It is an astounding fact that the British, in their minds the very epitome of civilized culture,
brought with them a staggering 20% fall in life expectancy of the average Indian during 1872 to
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Document Summary
How is poverty, especially in post-colonial states, a modern phenomenon? . According to some definitions, poverty can be considered as the state in which a person"s income level falls beyond a given minimum. This is the level which is necessary to meet basic needs (e. g. food, water and shelter) and varies according to time and place. (jones, p. 1259) Taking this definition into consideration, a significant portion of the world"s population can be considered poor, majority of which can be found in the third world. While it needs to be understood that poverty has existed throughout most of human history, this kind of mass poverty (especially in the third world) is a distinctly modern phenomenon. The squalor and plethora of unmet basic needs that the global south finds itself entangled in can be owed to the wide- ranging legacy of colonialism, and the capitalist institutions that championed it such as the east.
