ABSTRACT
From the mid 1960s to the early 1980s the textile mills of Oldham and surrounding areas were the loci for the activities of the babas and kakas. Economic growth in Oldham in the mid 1980s was concentrated in the service sector predominantly in retailing and distribution. Age, regional location and work experience were all factors which resulted in redundancy and were also significant hindrances to gaining employment. The system whereby men would pool money in komittees - rolling credit associations- provided a source of funds for the unemployed babas in case of emergencies. The narratives presented throughout this chapter illustrate how the babas have managed to offset the more negative consequences of unemployment runs by an engagement in religious and family affairs. The impact on the babas of the shift from fields to textile mills to the 'dole office' in the space of one generation is difficult to gauge.
