Salt, smuggling and citizenship
Redefining princely sovereignty through salt in Baroda, 1870–1920
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8961518 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kate Boehme (0000-0002-6199-7794, University of Edinburgh, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 431-450 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Indian Economic & Social History Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0019-4646 • E-ISSN: 0973-0893 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00194646231200327 |
| OpenAlex | W4388183849 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 14 |
The centrality of salt within the political and economic history of India is well established in recent scholarship. Its significance was particularly profound in the western region of Gujarat; long before the arrival of the British, the princely state of Baroda had a tradition of salt manufacturing. With both government-owned pans and widespread ‘home manufacturing’ operating within the state, salt was undeniably critical to the local economy. It also held a cultural significance. In the mid-1800s, with the introduction of the British salt monopoly, these industries were officially subsumed by the colonial state. However, in their efforts to enforce the monopoly and suppress ‘illicit’ production, the British continued to face considerable resistance from all levels of the Baroda administration into the twentieth century. This article examines the contestations that occurred between the colonial and princely authorities over the issue of salt, particularly on the frontiers where jurisdiction was uncertain. It asserts that, through these processes, salt came to represent a crucial battleground for debates concerning legal sovereignty, subjecthood and economic autonomy
Citizenship · Colonialism · Economics · Economy · Jurisdiction · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Scholarship · Sociology · Sovereignty · State (computer science · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Law
The Indian Princes and their States
Subalterns and the Raj
Environmental Changes, the Emergence of a Fuel Market, and the Working Conditions of Salt Makers in Bengal, c. 1780–1845
Networks of Empire. Forced Migration in the Dutch East India Company
Smuggling India
Imperial policy and the decline of the Bengal salt industry under colonial rule
Subaltern Lives
Demystifying the 'Ideal Progressive
Frontier as Resource
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |