Jeko Khere So Khaye (He who tills has the right to eat); 'development' and the politics of agrarian reform in late 1940s and early 1950s in Sindh

This talk explores connections between ‘development’ and the politics of agrarian reform in Sindh (Pakistan) during the period of transition straddling Independence. On the one hand, it highlights the place of development thinking in contemporary debates and policy making there before and after 1947; on the other, it acknowledges the role of the local hari movement in pushing for tenancy changes in the Sindhi countryside. Sarah Ansari conducts research primarily (but not exclusively) on the nineteenth and twentieth-century history of Sindh. Her publications have focused on a range of topics, including local religious elites (pirs) under British rule, the impact of Partition in both the short and longer term, and women’s lives in Pakistan’s early years. Her latest book Boundaries of Belonging; localities, citizenship and rights in India and Pakistan (co-authored with William Gould) was published in late 2019.