Precious threads and precarious lives : histories of shawl and silk industries of Kashmir, 1846-1950 /

"This book studies the hitherto unexplored history of the shawl and silk industries of 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 c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kumar, Amit (Professor of history) (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2022
Subjects:
Description
Summary:"This book studies the hitherto unexplored history of the shawl and silk industries of 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"--
Physical Description:xi, 163 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN:0367635046
1032001372
9780367635046
9781032001371