Description:
This book presents a comprehensive history of handloom weaving industry in India. It shows that skill-intensive handmade textiles survived the competition on a large scale, and that handmade goods and high-quality manual labour played a positive role in the making of modern India.
Review Quotes:
'The literature on decline and survival of the handloom sector in India in the nineteenth century had been ideological, focusing on the British policies of deliberate destruction of the industry. This book, based on data and quantitative estimation rather than preconceived assertions, is a much-needed contribution to the literature. A leading contributor to Indian economic history, Roy more than anybody else is well positioned to write this narrative.'
Bishnupriya Gupta, Professor of Economics, University of Warwick, UK
'Given the continued importance of artisanship generally and handloom weaving particularly, both in cultural and economic terms, the book would be likely to find a wide audience among development workers, those interested in cultural heritage, as well as anyone interested in economic history more broadly.'
Abigail McGowan, Associate Professor of History & Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Vermont, USA