SERICUL TURE AND THE PROCESS OF CHANGE - Institute for ...

assert one's freedom in the areas of decision-making and social
behaviour. In such a situation, either the stability of the system itself is
threatened or the 'subjected', if failed to achieve the intended freedom,
would lose interest in the generation of productive resources, which the
dominant may disfavour. Thus, the authority-holder is forced to yield to
the demands of the subjected individual as the processes of decontrolling
and encontrolling of resources occur simultaneously. In the process, the
powerless become empowered, notwithstanding the extent of
empowerment.
The same mteractive process IS applicable in every dyadic
relation of authority, only with varying degrees and with varying
interests. Sericulture becomes an effective tool in the hands of the
subordinates ",ithin the familial situation. As seen earlier, a majority of
the heads in sericulture households, who are traditional authority holders
are either main sericulturists themselves or playing active role m
sericulture. In such cases, though they may not feel the pressure to
devolve the authority, they are also more likely to exercise the
distributive authority. The extent of distribution would again depend on
the nature of support from other participants, which is also crucial to the
success of the enterprise As seen earlier, the sons in these households
are in an unenviable position, either as main sericulturists or active
sericulturists or employed outside. Moreover, in about two fifths of the
sericulture households, wives play an active role in sericulture. So,
authority relations are seriously altered in these households.
The husband-wife dyad is present in almost all the sericulturist
families. Moreover, this is the only dyadic relationship of authority
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