Salt Workers in Contemporary South India: Change and Continuity

Abstract

Monopolies of different kinds have remained a constant factor in the history of the salt industry in India. The available literature focuses on the economic aspects of the industry and not on labour. In this essay, we study the labour process to understand the influence of monopoly, caste hegemony, land tenure and the idea of production inefficiency. We show how colonial and post-colonial state policies have remained indifferent to the lives of salt workers. This article reconstructs salt history in India from the perspective of salt workers, restoring dignity to their labour and lives.