Small town capitalism in Western India : artisans, merchants and the making of the informal economy, 1870-1960 / Douglas E. Haynes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Haynes, Douglas E., author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in Indian history and society. ; 20.

Cambridge studies in Indian history and society ; 20

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Artisans--India--History.

Artisans.

Cottage industries--India--History.

Cottage industries.

Textile industry--India--History.

Textile industry.

Capitalism--India--History.

Capitalism.

India--Economic conditions--19th century.

India.

India--Economic conditions--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 344 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book charts the history of artisan production and marketing in the Bombay Presidency from 1870 to 1960. While the textile mills of western India's biggest cities have been the subject of many rich studies, the role of artisan producers located in the region's small towns have been virtually ignored. Based upon extensive archival research as well as numerous interviews with participants in the handloom and powerloom industries, this book explores the role of weavers, merchants, consumers and laborers in the making of what the author calls 'small-town capitalism'. By focusing on the politics of negotiation and resistance in local workshops, the book challenges conventional narratives of industrial change. The book provides the first in-depth work on the origins of powerloom manufacture in South Asia. It affords unique insights into the social and economic experience of small-town artisans as well as the informal economy of late colonial and early post-independence India.

Contents:

The historical and global contexts of artisan production

Consumers, merchants and markets

Artisanal towns

The organization of production

Small town capitalism and the living standards of artisans

The colonial state and the handloom weaver

The paradox of the long 1930s

Weaver capitalists and the politics of the workshop, 1940-60.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-107-22325-3

1-139-20906-X

1-280-87755-3

9786613718860

1-139-22177-9

1-139-21695-3

1-139-22348-8

1-139-21388-1

1-139-22004-7

0-511-67569-0

OCLC:

797919352