Rethinking Agrarian Identity: Colonial Legacies, Legal Discourses, and the Farmers' Movement in Post-Colonial India

Abstract

This paper examines the colonial and post-colonial legal and social constructions of agrarian identity in North India, with particular focus on the 2021 farmers' protest and its demand for the repeal of three agricultural Acts.

In September 2021, the Government of India introduced three contentious agricultural Acts. Framed as measures to modernize and liberalize agriculture, these Acts reignited deep-rooted concerns among India's agrarian communities, especially in North India. Historically, agriculture in India has been shaped by a complex intersection of colonial legal frameworks and social dynamics, with the identity of the "farmer" (Kisan) evolving through both colonial and post-colonial legal and social processes.

During the colonial period, the agrarian identity in regions like Punjab was deeply intertwined with caste and legal developments. For example, the Punjab Land Alienation Act (1900) selectively recognised only certain castes as agriculturists, excluding the majority of agricultural labourers, who were predominantly from marginalised groups. The few castes granted this status disproportionately controlled landownership, solidifying their identity as the dominant agrarian class and reinforcing caste hierarchies within the agricultural economy.

This colonial construction of the farmer identity, based on caste, has continued to shape socio-political dynamics in post-colonial India. The introduction of the three 2021 Acts threatened to further marginalise agrarian communities by favouring private entities and undermining state-regulated agricultural markets.

The farmers' movement, which became the largest and longest strike in Indian history, not only questioned these agricultural reforms but also raised fundamental questions about the nature of agrarian identity itself. Who qualifies as a farmer? Does the legal recognition of the "farmer" align with social and caste identities, or are these categories fluid and evolving? Rooted in North India, the 2021 movement highlighted the intersection, overlap, and potential conflict between the legal and social categories of "farmer" and "agriculturist." The colonial legacy of caste-based agrarian laws continues to shape the discourse on agrarian reforms and identity, with dominant agrarian castes maintaining significant influence.

This paper argues that the 2021 farmers' movement and its opposition to the new farm laws must be understood not merely as a reaction to economic policies, but as part of a broader historical struggle over the recognition and redefinition of agrarian identity. The colonial-era legal constructs that privileged certain castes as legitimate agriculturists remain deeply embedded in the socio-political fabric of contemporary India. Furthermore, this paper questions whether the contemporary definition of a "farmer" can be disentangled from the caste-based distinctions entrenched by colonial law, or if the identity must evolve to become more inclusive of marginalized agrarian communities, such as Dalits and landless labourers. Through this analysis, the paper sheds light on the ongoing transformation of agrarian identity in the context of legal, social, and political changes in post-colonial India.

Bio

Praveen Verma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi. He received his PhD in History from the University of Delhi in 2022, with a dissertation titled Law and Changing Forms of Identity Assertion in Northern India: 1900–2000s. His research examined the evolving discourses of dominance and marginality within the agrarian economy during the colonial period and their enduring legacies in postcolonial India, with a particular focus on the intersections of state and non-state legal frameworks in the negotiation of identity.

Previously, Dr. Verma was a consultant for the International Labour Organization (ILO), where he worked on transnational migration patterns between India and the Middle Eastern garment sector. He was also involved in the advocacy of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), enacted in 2005, and conducted extensive fieldwork on its implementation in some of the most underdeveloped rural regions of India. This act played a pivotal role in providing agrarian work opportunities for landless labourers in rural areas.

In addition to his engagement with agrarian labour, Dr. Verma has been actively involved in research and advocacy on labour conditions in the construction sector and among waste workers in Delhi. His research interests span agrarian studies, legal history, labour migration, and the relationships between caste, law, and identity, adopting an interdisciplinary approach to the study of social and economic transformations in South Asia.

His recent publication, "Customary Practices and Law in India: A Case for Legal Pluralism?", appeared in the Romanian Journal of Indian Studies (No. 8, 2024) and critically examines the intersections of identity, law, and the agrarian economy in colonial India.