Vol. 8 · No. 2 · 2004

Monisha Ahmed

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This article looks at transformations in the pashmina trade after 1959, and examines how in recent years this trade has changed the fortunes of the nomadic pastoralists of eastern Ladakh. Changes in the pashmina trade have meant an increase in the economic value of goats. This has led to shifts in livestock composition, as well as attitudes towards the goat, and these are looked at here. Finally, this paper looks at how the nomads have coped with the changing market and used it to their advantage.