The Class Structure of Pakistan

by Taimur Rahman

This work on the class structure of Pakistan is based on the framework of historical materialism. It sketches the history of the region that is now Pakistan and analyzes the class structure from the time of the Mughal Empire, through the distortions of the colonial era and the transition to capitalism, to the class structure of contemporary Pakistan. It avoids over-schematic arguments, attempting to proceed from facts rather than from any ideal forms. The study develops three propositions: First, that the mode of production of pre-colonial South Asia was qualitatively distinct from European feudalism; second, that the colonial path of capitalist development of South Asia resulted in a socio-economic formation that combined features of the Asiatic and capitalist modes of production, which this study terms Asiatic capitalism; third, that in Pakistan manufacturing and services are dominated by petty commodity production and small-scale capitalism. The author concludes by outlining
the implications for Pakistan's politics, society, and culture.

Genres: Pakistan, Economics, Nonfiction, History

328 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2013

About the author

Taimur Rahman is an academic, musician and socialist political activist from Pakistan. He teaches political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is the band leader and spokesperson for the political music band named 'Laal'.

Reviews

[Sahar rahat khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Muslim regions of India the Arabic word 'quom' is used to describe castes as well as 'nation' (Ghazdar,2007:5).In Pakistan, quoms are broadly divided into two distinct system: land-owning quoms are known as Zamindar quoms, and labouring class quoms are knowns as kammi quoms. Zamindar quoms included those that work their own land, as well as those who mainly live off the rent from their sharecropping tenants.the more powerful zamindar quoms tend to dominant village life. For instant, In Punjab , the Zamindar quoms include Sayyed, Swan,Rajput,Chakar,Gujjar,Jat,Arian,Dawn,Malik,Sheikh,Bhatti,Gondal, and so on-- these are All various names of different castes.
Working quoms are known as Kammi quoms.The word 'Kammi' literally means worker (in Punjab, 'Kam' means 'to work' ). There are numerous kammi quoms , such as Chuhra/musalli(sweeper and scavenger), chammer(leather worker), Nahi(barber) , chimmba and dhobi (washerman), mirasi(village bard and geneologist), Kasi (butcher), kumhar(potter),tarkhan/badhai(carpenter) ,lohar(blacksmith) changar(reapers), mallah(fisherman) kewat(boatsman) , teli(oil presser), kahar(water carrier), gadadia(sheep herder) sonar(goldsmith) , and darzi(tailor), In Sindh they are called bheel, kolhi,toorkhail,(literally'black lineage') kisabgar(menials), bargi, lacchi, lohri, and shahikhel. In Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa (NWFP) they are called neechzaad (low caste) , badnasaal(bad lineage) and In Baluchistan they are simply called Ghulam (save) (ghazdar ,2007:2), ............... Page 117

[Madeeha Maqbool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative despite the clear socialist leanings of the author (he's the spokesperson for the band "Laal"). even so, it was great and very easy to get through too.

[Qaiser Ijaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author made a case for Asiatic mode of production in Pakistan and sub continent in general with strong arguments. A tough read for non political readers.