Ethnic Enterprise in the Decentralised Textile Industry of Surat, India

Abstract

The paper explores the role of ethnic networks in the contemporary art silk industry of Surat, Gujarat, India's largest production centre of synthetic fabrics. It is argued that one of the secrets of its success is a system of ethnic entrepre neurship in which business people rely on informal networks based on ties of kinship, caste, sect and place of origin. Participation in these flexible networks gives merchants and manufacturers access to community resources, and allows them to minimise costs, adapt to market fluctuations and avoid government restrictions. Examples are given from four business communities to illustrate how the industry functions.

Super-exploitation of Adivasi Migrant Workers: The Political Economy of Migration from Southern Rajasthan to Gujarat

“… Note: Mapped through focus group discussions with sari outlet owners, who have been working in Surat’s textile industry for over 20–30 years. The estimates provided by them were triangulated with secondary sources (Menning, 1997; Srivastava, 2017 Aajeevika Bureau & ODI, 2007). …”

“…Based on 14 months of ethnographic work, Menning (1997) found that the textile industry in Surat is dominated by what he termed ‘ethnic enterprises’, with the whole value chain displaying high levels of segmentation along the lines of caste-tribe and place of origin, both in ownership and in labour hiring. At the ownership level, the whole value chain (except for the yarn segment) is dominated by upper-caste communities such as Patels, Khatris, Ranas, Jains and Rajputs.…”

“…The downstream segment of sari outlets is particularly dominated by Jains and Rajputs from Rajasthan, who tend to hire migrants from their own communities for supervisory and shop-helper roles. These communities also control the middleman-ship between the various industry segments, comprising a large body of brokers and merchants that connect supply and demand (Menning, 1997). Across the value chain of this industry, millions of migrant labourers from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan are employed, working and living in difficult conditions.…”

The political economy of urban climate adaptation and development planning in Surat, India

“…Surat's historical rise to economic prominence highlights the crucial role held by the private sector in partnering with city government to produce growth (Kashyap and Tiwari, 1984;Menning, 1997a). This history is also intimately connected to the city's natural environment.…”

Knowledge problems associated with creating export zones

“…For example, the Surat textile cluster has been a successful cluster since the late nineteenth century (Menning 1997). The Ambur leather industry (near Madras) is over a century old and was developed by the local Muslims who could work with leather unlike caste Hindus who had religious restrictions on handling animal hide.…”