A FRAYED HISTORY: THE JOURNEY OF COTTON IN INDIA

Meena Menon and Uzramma

Most farmers growing cotton in India are trapped in debt. Thousands have committed suicide, and Indian cotton weavers are barely surviving as well. This book is a comprehensive and well-researched account of Indian cotton from precolonial times to the present crisis, and draws on transnational debates about the use of artificial fibres, fair trade and biotechnology. Menon and Uzramma also offer practical solutions which could help Indian cotton farmers and weavers survive in a global capitalist market.

Oxford University Press, 418 pages, Rs 750