The textile of the Indians were used by their colonial masters for their own purposes, leading to the exploitation of weavers and the creation of a cultural hotch-potch.
Native cultures the world over have been affected by imperialism and its resultant colonial structures. Their indigenous production moulds, trading methods and design patterns underwent major modifications with the onslaught of an alien culture. In some cases, it even led to the virtual extinction of valuable native crafts.
The colonial history of Indian textiles can be divided into two phases : the 17° and 18° centuries when Indian calicoes and muslins were vital to the commerce of the European East India Companies ( portuguese, dutch, english and danish). The second phase was from the 19° century onwards when Indian calicoes became a source of competition and threat to the manufactures of Manchester and Lancashire. This led to the ban on Indian calicoes…