| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 110.1

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 110.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Asia

Kumari Jayawardena. Nobodies to Somebodies: The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka. Reprint. New York: Zed Books; distributed by Palgrave, New York, N.Y. 2002. Pp. xxx, 412. Cloth $75.00, paper $29.95.
This book provides a detailed account of the rise of the Ceylonese bourgeoisie under British rule, particularly during the vast economic changes of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book is a significant addition to the broader discourse on the formation of "upper classes" in the nineteenth century, such as the Mudliars, and their sources, especially the Karava caste. Kumari Jayawardena takes a Marxist approach and focuses on the origins and growth of the Ceylonese capitalist class. This study also complements her previous work, The Rise of the Labor Movement in Ceylon (1972); together they tell the story of class formation in contemporary Sri Lankan society.	1
Instead of focusing on one caste, Jayawardena explores the transformation across caste boundaries. Highlighting the inadequacies of the definition of the elite, she focuses on the bourgeoisie. Cautioning that the notion of "comprador bourgeoisie" signals the blatant collaboration of the Ceylonese capitalists with the British, the author argues that the situation was more mixed. She emphasizes the significance of arrack production, distribution, and renting in the initial production of capital by nascent capitalists. In addition to its origin, she examines the make up and identity of this class, especially how the new capitalists, once they had established themselves, preferred to distance themselves from "dirty" arrack and assume the more established role of landowner.	. . .

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