This anthropological work of unusual historical depth describes the
pattern of land tenure and resulting social structure in the Ceylonese
village of Madagama. Dr Obeyesekere analyses the contemporary system in
detail, and traces the evolution of every land holding and the
correlated kinship pattern from the inception of the estate in 1790. The
traditional cultivation and economy has been modified by land shortage,
causing multiple division of shares, and by British rule which resulted
in the introduction of Roman-Dutch law and the development of a cash
economy. The practices of mortgaging and share speculation then became
the basis of a new power structure derived from feudal norms of land
ownership, and leading to radical reorganization of the traditional
hamlet.