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

Saha, Jonathan

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: Jun 16, 2023
• 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
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1653890