Economic Impacts of Plague on the Occupational Structure of the Punjab, 1901–1921

The Punjab accounted for 30% of all plague mortalities in early 20th-century India. This article analyzes the economic impacts of plague mortalities on the occupational structure of the Punjab between 1901 and 1921. It highlights the effects of plague mortalities on main occupational groups, such as agriculture, commerce, and industry in specific districts in the Punjab. A focus on different districts allows us to gauge how plague fatalities affected particular localities. By deploying rich archival sources, this piece argues that massive plague mortalities played a huge role in the significant diminution of occupational formations of the Punjab in the early 20th century. The study discovers varied and differential effects of plague mortalities on agricultural, commerce, and industrial-based occupations in different districts due to their geographic, administrative, and economic idiosyncrasies. This work highlights the differential effects of epidemics on different districts due to their peculiarities. It generates new insights into the interface between epidemics and means of livelihoods of populations on a district basis. This article illuminates the probable effects of epidemics on varied populations and occupational groups.