Sociologist Jan Breman described the change in the nature of the relationship between landlords, belonging to the dominant class, and agricultural workers, belonging to the low caste, as a shift from ___________.

The correct answer is patronage to exploitation. Key Points

• The shift from patronage to exploitation refers to a change in the relationship between landlords and agricultural workers, where landlords used to provide support and protection to workers but now exploit them for their labor.
• The rise in migrant agricultural labor was a result of the commercialization of agriculture.
• A pattern of seasonal migration developed, with thousands of workers moving between their homes and more prosperous areas where there is a demand for labor and higher wages, as traditional bonds between laborers or tenants and landlords broke down and as seasonal demand for agricultural laborers increased in prosperous areas.
• Workers also leave rural areas due to rising inequality that began in the mid-1990s and pushed many households to work several jobs in order to make ends meet.
• This change is significant because it reflects a shift in power dynamics between the dominant class and low castes.

Additional Information

• Tenant to tiller does not reflect a change in the nature of the relationship between landlords and workers, but rather a change in the type of labor arrangement.
  • Farmers, or land tillers, have the legal right to acquire land ownership under the "Land to Tiller" law.​
• Exploitation to patronage contradicts the description provided by Jan Breman and does not reflect a shift in power dynamics.
• Bonded labor to free labor refers to a specific type of labor arrangement rather than a change in the nature of the relationship between landlords and workers.