A case study on khadi: ethnocentric countermarketing and social identity in colonial resistance

Purpose Decades before the rise of purpose-driven branding, the Swadeshi Movement executed one of history’s most powerful campaigns of ethnocentric countermarketing. This paper aims to reconceptualise khadi (indigenous hand-spun cloth) and Swadeshi textiles as an early historical case of ethnocentric countermarketing during India’s anti-colonial resistance. It investigates how consumer choice was transformed from a functional economic transaction into a symbolic performance of collective identity within a racially structured colonial marketplace. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a qualitative historical case study design, this paper synthesises social identity theory (SIT) and consumer ethnocentrism with archival visual artefacts, period print advertisements and historical economic data from the Swadeshi and Non-Cooperation eras. Findings This study reveals that khadi succeeded not through functional superiority, but by altering product evaluation criteria so that symbolic identity value outweighed material limitations. Ethnocentric countermarketing reframed indigenous cloth as a marker of patriotism, dignity and self-reliance. However, structural constraints – including price disparities, class divides and technological dependencies – limited its capacity to fully dismantle colonial supply chains. Research limitations/implications This paper relies on compiled historical literature and published archival media rather than exhaustive raw trade ledgers. Future research could explore comparative anti-colonial consumer movements across other regional contexts. Practical implications For contemporary managers and brand strategists, the historical model illustrates both the power and structural limits of identity-driven marketing, showing that symbolic value must eventually be backed by scalable supply chain infrastructure. Originality/value This paper extends SIT by demonstrating that marketplace participation can actively construct collective identity rather than merely reflect it, positioning colonial-era khadi as a foundational archetype for modern purpose-driven political consumerism.