<![CDATA[This study examines the socio-economic and spatial transformation of Alappuzha (Alleppey) as the center of Travancore’s coir industry under late colonial rule, situating it within debates on peripheral industrialization and colonial modernity. Drawing on archival records, trade reports, and oral testimonies, the article demonstrates that Alappuzha developed as a hybrid industrial town where artisanal skill and household-based labour were integrated into factory production and global markets. The findings highlight three key dynamics. First, coir production evolved through a dual structure that combined mechanized factory units with expansive domestic spinning, sustained largely by women from marginalized castes. Second, this labour regime not only reproduced caste and gender hierarchies but also catalyzed new forms of worker mobilization, exemplified by the Travancore Labour Association, which linked industrial conflict to wider social reform movements. Third, the town’s spatial organization—rope-yards, canals, worker colonies, and merchant godowns— reflected a colonial-imperial logic that intertwined trade efficiency with social regulation, producing a distinctive form of industrial urbanism. By foregrounding the intersection of labour, caste, gender, and space, the study contributes to comparative histories of industrial peripheries, showing how Alappuzha’s coir industry exemplifies both the possibilities and contradictions of colonial industrialization in South Asia.]]>
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