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Paperwork as Commodity, Corruption as Accumulation: Land Records and Licences in Colonial Myanmar, c.1900

Saha, Jonathan

Paperwork as Commodity, Corruption as Accumulation: Land Records and Licences in Colonial Myanmar, c.1900 Thumbnail


Authors



Contributors

Ronald Kroeze
Editor

Pol Dalmau
Editor

Frédéric Monier
Editor

Abstract

In conceptualising the role played by paperwork in the history of corruption, historians of empire have uncovered the social lives of written documents. Studies have revealed an intrinsic duality to their use. They were the basis of colonial surveillance systems, but as well as enabling state authority and oversight, they could also be used to evade state authority through fraudulent use, fabrication and forgery. Through the examples of land records and licences in colonial Myanmar, I show that this duality enabled subordinate state officials to make an illicit profit from the production of paperwork. Although often an acknowledged part of the background context, histories of corruption are yet to grapple seriously with the role played by capitalism. This chapter by Jonathan Saha argues that by considering paperwork to be a particular type of commodity, we can better understand the prevalence of particular illicit practices.

Citation

Saha, J. (2021). Paperwork as Commodity, Corruption as Accumulation: Land Records and Licences in Colonial Myanmar, c.1900. In R. Kroeze, P. Dalmau, & F. Monier (Eds.), Corruption, Empire and Colonialism in the Modern Era (293-315). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0255-9_11

Online Publication Date Jun 16, 2021
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Jun 22, 2021
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan
Pages 293-315
Series Title Palgrave Studies in Comparative Global History
Book Title Corruption, Empire and Colonialism in the Modern Era
Chapter Number 11
ISBN 9789811602542
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0255-9_11

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Copyright Statement
Saha, J., Paperwork as Commodity, Corruption as Accumulation: Land Records and Licences in Colonial Myanmar, c.1900. In: Kroeze R., Dalmau P., Monier F. (eds) Corruption, Empire and Colonialism in the Modern Era. Palgrave Studies in Comparative Global History, 2021, Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore reproduced with permission of Palgrave Macmillan. This extract is taken from the author's original manuscript and has not been edited. The definitive, published, version of record is available here: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0255-9_11




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