In existing historiography, the modernity discourse presents modern knowledge as being more economically efficient and technologically advanced compared to traditional skills. This theoretical lens has introduced a hierarchy of production and restructured the meaning of work and division of labour within the profession of weaving. Historically, the contexts of both the modern textile industry and traditional handloom weaving were interrelated in terms of technology and skills, but they have become increasingly segregated over the last two centuries. This article suggests an apparent distinction between “modernization” as a historical process and “modernity” as a condition. Analysis of the policies and prejudices of the colonial state explains the dynamics between producers, products, and techniques in the handloom textile sector of the United Provinces during the early twentieth century, as well as the impact of government policies, nationalist ideas, and global processes on the sector. Studying these interactions allows us to explore localized nuances pertaining to knowledge and skill that have often been ignored in historiography due to preconceived cultural, political, and institutional compartmentalization of craft communities.

在现有的史学中，现代性话语将现代知识呈现为与传统技能相比更具经济效率和技术先进性。这种理论视角引入了生产等级制度，并重组了编织行业的工作意义和分工。从历史上看，现代纺织业和传统手摇织机的背景在技术和技能方面是相互关联的，但在过去两个世纪中它们变得越来越分离。这篇文章提出了作为历史过程的“现代化”和作为条件的“现代性”之间的明显区别。对殖民国家的政策和偏见的分析解释了生产者、产品、二十世纪初联合省手摇纺织部门的技术和技术，以及政府政策、民族主义思想和全球进程对该部门的影响。研究这些相互作用使我们能够探索与知识和技能相关的局部细微差别，由于先入为主的文化、政治和制度对手工艺社区的划分，这些细微差别在史学中经常被忽视。