Debt bondage, seasonal migration and labour relations in agriculture

Seasonal migration is often associated with debt bondage and extreme poverty. It seems important to observe the variants of bonded or unfree labour in the context of India’s seasonal agriculture . Various studies undertaken during the 1990s showed that this system, at least in its traditional form, gradually fell into disuse, in particular in the green revolution areas. Actually, capitalist farming must require the mobility of "free labour" who are not bound to a landlord. However, it has contributed to reinforce debt bondage through a system of advance (munpannam) involved by the labour broker or maistry. The study is based on a survey carried out in ThondyReddy Palayam a village in the district of Villupuram, in Tamil Nadu.

Speaker

• Dr. Kamala Marius Gnanou, University of Bordeaux 3 & UMR Ades Tempos, France
• Venkatasubramaniam, IFP

Organisers

Department of Social Sciences
French Institute of Pondicherry

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall
French Institute of Pondicherry
11, Saint Louis Street
Pondicherry - 605 001