The Sociotechnical System of Silk Weaving in Bishnupur Region in West Bengal

Abhradip Banerjee and Gopalkrishna Chakrabarti

Journal of South Asian Development, 2022, vol. 17, issue 1, 108-133

Abstract: The article analyses the sociotechnical system of the silk weaving industry in the Bishnupur region of West Bengal through a detailed description of processes and interactions between important technical elements and the human agents within a richly structured environment of silk cloth production. It shows that the various processes of silk cloth production and marketing constitute an ensemble of economic inequalities, skill differentiation and differences in power and prestige. Different groups restructure the hierarchy by participating in the network of silk cloth production in which raw materials are converted into stable or viable products. The article thus provides an overview of how capitalist development is shaping the lives and livelihoods of silk weaving artisans in West Bengal.

Keywords: Sociotechnical system; handloom silk cloth production; labour relationships; hierarchy; Bishnupur (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:soudev:v:17:y:2022:i:1:p:108-133

DOI: 10.1177/09731741221083086

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