WeavingHistorieslooksattheeconomichistoryofSouthAsiafromafreshperspective,throughadetailedstudyofthehandloomindustryofSouthIndiabetween1800and1960,drawingoutitswiderimplicationsfortheIndianeconomy.Itemploysanunusualarrayofsources,includingpaintingsandtextilesamplesaswellasarchivalrecords,toexcavatethelinksbetweencottongrowing,cleaning,spinningandweavingbeforethenineteenthcentury.Theruptureandre-configurationoftheselinksproducedasea-changeinthelivesofordinaryweavers.WeavingHistoriesexaminestheconfigurationofforces璽local,regional,nationalandglobal璽thatdrovethistransformation,anduncoversitseffectsondifferentgroupsofweavers.Thehandloomindustryisusedasacasestudytothrowlightonthehistoricalemergenceofthe’informalsector’inIndia,andtore-examinecontemporarydebatesaboutindustrialisationandeconomicdevelopment.
