Capitalist progress implies the destruction of the old and uncompetitive sectors and the creation of new ones in their wake. However, in the Global South the loss of jobs in the older sectors is not necessarily offset by the new forms of employment. The objective of this paper is to critically examine how the vast employment in the Indian handloom sector could be sustained, given the competitive pressures from alternative technologies and products. Rather than allow the sector to be a victim of capitalist progress, this paper on moral economy grounds offers an alternative approach, which is to boost the demand for handloom products through commercial branding but one that is rooted in cultural valorization of artisanal craft. This strategy, complementary to state provisioning of subsidized inputs, comes at the expense of authenticity but is expected to enhance consumption and sustain livelihoods in the handloom sector.

资本主义的进步意味着对旧的，没有竞争力的部门的破坏和随之而来的新部门的创造。但是，在全球南方，旧部门的工作流失并不一定能被新的就业形式所抵消。本文的目的是批判性地考察在替代技术和产品面临竞争压力的情况下，印度手摇织机行业如何维持大量的就业机会。本文以道德经济为基础，而不是让该部门成为资本主义进步的受害者，而是提供了另一种方法，即通过商业品牌来增加对手摇织机产品的需求，但其根源在于手工工艺的文化价值。该策略是对国家提供补贴的投入的补充，