Connected Transoceanic Histories of Printed Cottons. The Metamorphosis from Kalamkari to Sits

This thesis is set in the realm of textile history, and explores the connections between Golconda Kalamkari from the South-eastern coast of India and Sits/Chintz from Europe in order to establish the social and political connections that interplayed between them. It establishes that the Sits consumed in the Dutch Republic from the 17th century onwards is a descendant of the Indian Kalamkari. This thesis combines extensive archival research of preserved textile fragments and pre-existent but scattered academic literature in the fields of colonial studies, post-colonial studies, textile history, fashion design and even architecture to establish a comprehensive picture of Kalamkari’s transformation into Sits by the means of the Connected Histories framework. This thesis consists of four chapters that have been divided thematically to address each aspect of the research question with the aim of establishing the role of painted cotton textiles in the colonial trade, its domestic significance in India, its European reception, and the role of mercantilism and consumer preferences in its adoption into usage among nobility and later, common people alike in the Dutch Republic. Ultimately, this thesis can be viewed as a comprehensive work that collates various fragmented aspects of colonial era textile history under one topical study, hence providing for various points of views of stakeholders who shaped the era of trade, social consumption and political rule from the mid-17th century to early 19th century.