Empire and the Economist

The pre-colonial socio-economic order was fundamentally altered by the colonial presence in the 19th century. Alongside a widespread intellectual ferment, the period also saw for the first time, the emergence of economics as a science in western India. In their interpretation and writings on economic issues, Indian intellectuals and thinkers had also to confront the dilemma of understanding the British Indian empire. This paper looks at the writings of prominent 19th century thinkers of western India of the period and asks in what ways the constraints of working within a colonial dominance and their responses to it, in turn influenced the economic knowledge that was produced.