Precious threads and precarious lives: Histories of shawl and silk industries of Kashmir, 1846–1950

Kumar, Amit (2022) Precious threads and precarious lives: Histories of shawl and silk industries of Kashmir, 1846–1950. Routledge India, London. ISBN 9781003172888

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Abstract

This book studies the hitherto unexplored history of the shawl and silk industries of the himalyan state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It focuses on the three processes – production, circulation, and consumption – of the textile industry of the region to highlight its socio-economic and political importance in 19th- and 20th-century Kashmir. Using the micro-history approach, it studies the sites of production – the home looms or the small karkhana – efficiency of labour, and innovations by weavers in their techniques to suit the demands of the market. It also locates the impact colonialism had on transforming the labour economy in the Kashmir textile industry. Further, it compares these karkhanas with the Scottish factories or home looms to illuminate many sites of difference and comparison between the working styles and technologies. Mapping a history as complex as the weave on the finest Kashmiri shawl, this book brings to life the interface between culture, commodity, and colonial networks. It will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of South Asian history, colonial and imperial history, cultural studies, and economic and labour history.

Item Type:	Book
Authors:	Kumar, Amit
Document Language:	Language English
Subjects:	Social sciences > Political Science > Relation of state to organized groups > Business and industry Social sciences > Economics > Labor economics > Labor force and market History & geography > History of Asia
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru > School of Arts and Sciences
Full Text Status:	None
Related URLs:	Library OPAC
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/7413
Publisher URL:	https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003172888

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