The Handloom Industry of Begampur in Transition

Technology, Disjuncture, and Development

The Handloom Industry of Begampur in Transition

Technology, Disjuncture, and Development

Abhradip Banerjee (Author)

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Description

The Handloom Industry of Begampur in Transition: Technology, Disjuncture and Development provides an ethnographic description of the handloom industry of the Begampur region, Hooghly district, West Bengal, India. While explaining the process of transformation within the industry, Abhradip Banerjee explores the uneasy relationship between technology, disjuncture, and development that has impacted the lives of this particular group of artisans for more than two decades. The novelty of this book lies in Banerjee’s approach, which allowed him to perceive and analyze the process of transition within the handloom weaving tradition of Begampur region from a more inclusive perspective, miles away from the pitfall of gross “technological determinism.” The “sociotechnical approach allowed him to gauge, analyze, and incorporate several important but neglected dimensions of this transformation, which were otherwise missing in many historiographic or empirical accounts regarding the process of industrialization, deindustrialization, and class formation in India.

List of Tables and Figures
Foreword
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Why Handlooms? Excavating the Trope
Handloom Industry and the Indian Economy
Perspectives on Indian Handlooms and the De-Industrialization Debate
Within a Maze: My Early Research and Involvement
Anthropology of Craft and Craftsmen: Concepts, Dimensions and Theoretical Perspectives
The Backdrop of the Present Research
The Handloom Industry of Begampur in Transition: Technology, Disjuncture and Development
Methodology
Structure of the Book

Chapter 1: The Setting: People, the Place, Economy, and Lives
History and Geographical Location of this Region
Geology and Climate
Flora and Fauna
Population and the Ethnic Composition
Education
Occupations
Infrastructure and Healthcare Facilities
Literary and Cultural Traditions

Chapter 2: Tracing the Historical and Cultural Landscape of the Handloom Industry in Begampur: From Past to the Present
Historical And Cultural Geography of Indian Handlooms
Handloom Industry of Bengal
Handloom Weaving Tradition in Begampur and its Evolution

Chapter 3: The Social and the Religious Life Handloom Weavers in Begampur Region
Ethnic Origin and Religious Cohabitation
Marriage
Family
Kinship
Life-Cycle Rituals
Religious Ceremonies and Festivals

Chapter 4: The Craft of Handloom Weaving: Technology, Processes, Work Coordination, Products and their Market
Loom and Other Implements
Knowledge and Skills in Different Stages of Cloth Production
Work Coordination and Division of Labour
Raw Materials, Products and their Market

Chapter 5: The Disjuncture and Juxtapositions of Cloth Production, Organization and Marketing
Individual Creative Identity vs. Community-Level Collective Production
Traditional Artisanal Craft vs. Technology-Driven Commercialized Mass-Production
The Informal vs. Formal Organizational Setup: The Issue of Dependence and Relative Independence
Empowerment vs. Exploitation: Types of Contracts and the Relations in Production
The Utility Products vs. Items with High Aesthetic Content
The Issue of Local vs. Global: Local Identity vs. the Process of Homogenization

Chapter 6: Handloom Weavers Cooperatives Societies in Begampur: A Failed Experiment?
A Brief History of Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative in India
Handloom Weavers Cooperative Societies in Begampur Region
Rise of Begampur Handloom Cluster Society
Conclusion
Notes
Glossary
References
Index
About the Author

Product details

Published	Aug 30 2024
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Extent	218
ISBN	9781666960587
Imprint	Lexington Books
Illustrations	34 BW Illustrations, 5 Tables
Dimensions	9 x 6 inches
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Abhradip Banerjee

“This volume critically depicts how the Begumpuri artisans negotiate with changing socio-cultural dimensions, technological innovations, marketing and market forces. The volume will add a new body of knowledge in anthropology and would be engaging to those who are interested in the study of craft, craftsmanship, and their economy and culture.”

Subha Ray, University of Calcutta
Through this book Abhradip Banerjee has done a great job in tracing the history and cultural landscape of the handloom industry in Begampur, Hooghly while also dealing with the complex procedures in simplistic details, highlighting the growth of the weaving beyond being a community specific enterprise. By shedding light upon the unfair competition of handlooms with powerlooms, factors responsible for the emergence of cooperatives in Begampur and their problems, this book highlights the necessity of understanding the dynamics between technology, community and socioeconomic parameters for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage.

Pinaki Ghosh, The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata
“Part historical narrative outlining a genealogy of handloom weaving and weavers in Begampur and part anthropological analysis of the role weaving plays in the region and the lives intertwined within this craft industry; Banerjee’s book provides valuable insights into the cultural, social, and economic importance of handloom weaving in this area of West Bengal.”

Julie Blanchard-Emmerson, University for the Creative Arts