Incertitude and patchwork: The textile industry in Prato in the 18th and 19th centuries

Prato, in Tuscany, is presently and exemplary Italian industrial district. Known especially for the textile trade, its industrial history dates back to the Middle Ages. Yet, during the 18th and 19th centuries, the town is far away from the industrial development of the biggest centers in Europe. Prate survives by weaving ordinary cloth, by mixing different fibers and producing mediocre levantine bonnets. The banality of this modest industry is the real aim of this essay. Comparing the Prate's case to different interpretative models of industrialisation, I come to the conclusion that neither the industrial revolution model, nor the proto-industrialisation one, or the alternative to the mass production are able to explain Prate's industrial history. To break through this impasse, I am forced to construct and intellectual patchwork which leads far from generalisations and allows to understand the precarity and uncertainity of Prato's alternative choice.