SINHAS Vol 29 No 1 Beth Prosnitz

“Nothing Gets Done without Money”: Articulations of the Landlord State in Saptari 

Abstract
Narratives on corruption and bribery dominate discussions about land transfers in Saptari. Rather than accept these narratives as documentary evidence of a practice of corruption and bribery, this essay interrogates if these narratives articulate (re)negotiations of political subjectivities vis-à-vis land revenue collections in an era of legal-administrative reorganization. The essay particularly examines how the local paralegals (lekhandàs) mediate these narratives, which are intimately connected with the historical legacies of pain and sorrow as defining features of land administration.

Keywords: Land administration, duþkha, corruption, political subjectivities