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The Structure of the Indian Working Class and Conventional Unionism

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Labour and Unions in Asia and Africa

Part of the book series: Macmillan International Political Economy Series ((IPES))

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Abstract

Till recently, most Indian Marxists shared the optimistic belief that in the long run the differences between the various sectors of the economy and within the labour force would be homogenised by the objective laws of historical development. Homogenisation of workers as a cultural and political collectivity would eventually emerge with the natural triumph of monopoly capital (Desai, 1948; Mukherjee, 1984; Dutt, 1949; Dange, 1952). The logic of commodity production would lead to imminent de-peasantisation and consequent proletarianisation of rural workers (Katovsky, 1964; Harris, 1972; Choudhuri, 1975; Gough, 1980; Gupta, 1980; Thorner, 1980), and the whole of the unorganised and informal sector would merge into the large-scale, organised sector. This oversimplified teleological notion of historical transition being treated almost as a maxim forbade any logical discussion or empirical scrutiny. A few excerpts from the writings of Marx and Engels were thought sufficient to buttress the expected process of change.

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  1. Jaganath Pathy
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  1. University of Leicester, UK

    Roger Southall (Lecturer in Politics) (Lecturer in Politics)

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© 1988 Roger Southall

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Pathy, J. (1988). The Structure of the Indian Working Class and Conventional Unionism. In: Southall, R. (eds) Labour and Unions in Asia and Africa. Macmillan International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18790-4_5

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