ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the metamorphosis of European trading firms involved in plantations in the specific regional context of south India, and the larger implications of this process in the contemporary context. It provides a broad overview of the evolution and consolidation of European trading capital in south India’s plantation sector, extending from the mercantilist phase in the 17th century till the time of India’s independence in 1947;6 and the contemporary scenario in the light of the legacy of trading capital in the region’s plantation sector. The role of European capital in the development of the plantation sector in south India did not follow a linear path; rather, it evolved in fits and starts, governed primarily by prevailing British perceptions of and interests in overseas trade. The mercantile orientation of these companies was reinforced by certain region-specific factors. The involvement of European partnership firms, popularly known as coastal trading firms, in south India’s plantation sector was confined initially to coffee.
