“James Brow, Anuradhapura 1984, and the Question of Agrarian Change”by Jonathan Spencer (Social Scientists’ Association, Critical Agrarian Studies Seminar Series )

We are happy to share Jonathan Spencer’s presentation on “James Brow, Anuradhapura 1984, and the Question of Agrarian Change”. This presentation was given during given during Critical Agrarian Studies Seminar Series, organized by Social Scientists’ Association (SSA).

Summary

James Brow (d. 2022) made a major contribution to the analysis of rural society and structure in Sri Lanka, in his two monographs on Anuradhapura district, but also in co-organising an international conference on ‘Symbolic and Material Dimensions of Agrarian Change’ in July 1984. My talk combines a personal reassessment of the work of a friend and exemplary mentor, with reflections on a meeting of brilliant young researchers who had carried out field studies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Yet when Agrarian Change in Sri Lanka (Sage, New Delhi) belatedly appeared in 1992, the age of the classic village study seemed over. How did this happen? What can we still learn from that encounter of 40 years ago?

Source: SSA Youtube Page