ABSTRACT
The prevalence of indigenous means of population control is reported in many societies. Freebeme (1964) reports for traditional China, Smith (1977: 142-3) for Japan, Polgar (1971) for several societies in the edited collection, Harris and Ross (1987) for societies ranging from Palaeolithic times to the present, in contemporary times Patel (1994, 1998) for Indian peasant and tribal society, Bledsoe (1997) for Gambia, and Ram and Jolly (1998) for Asia-Pacific during the colonial times. (See also female infanticide, widow deaths and prohibited marriage.) Ahluwalia’s (2008) account of historical records analyses how the prevalent population control practices – written and oral – in Indian society were overlooked in favour of modern and Western practices by colonial powers in India. Both historical accounts as well as demographic studies in the Post-World War II era have denied agency to the erstwhile colonies and women under the pretext of their irrationality in not adopting modern contraception. Let us see how research reveals that ‘non-modern’ societies regulated population.
