Tillært viden i trikotageindustrien

Resumé

Tekstil-og beklædningsindustrien er afhængig af billig, ufaglært arbejdskraft. Det var blandt andet det, der i 1990’erne fik store dele af den midtjyske tekstil- og beklædningsindustri til at flytte produktionen til lavtlønslande. Afhængigheden af ufaglært arbejdskraft har fået mange til at overse betydningen af tillært personale. Tillært personale og dermed erfaringsbaseret viden i tekstil- og beklædningsindustrien er derfor underbelyst til trods for, at den har spillet en væsentlig rolle både for produktionen og for industriens selvforståelse.

I denne artikel undersøges de tillærte teknikere og deres viden om strikteknik og -maskiner i midtjysk trikotageindustri fra 1950 til 1990. Artiklen viser, hvordan de kom forudsætningsløse ind i industrien og gennem erfaring arbejdede sig frem til at varetage særligt kvalificerede funktioner. Samtidig viser artiklen, hvordan fremvæksten og forandringerne af den midtjyske tekstil- og beklædningsklynge var med til både at sætte og siden forandre rammerne for udviklingen af de tillærte teknikeres viden. Artiklen bygger på etnologisk feltarbejde blandt mænd, der har arbejdet som tillærte teknikere i trikotageindustrien 1950-1990. Feltarbejdet blev gennemført af Museum Midtjylland på baggrund af en bevilling fra Kulturstyrelsens Rådighedssum 2010

Practical knowledge in a textile cluster

From the 1940ties to the 1990ties the Central Jutland was dominated by a textile cluster. It favored practical knowledge rather than professionals. The article is based on the assumption that practical knowledge was formed by the textile cluster, the way it was constructed and later on changed. Further on the article is built on the idea that the cluster had impact on the judgments of practical knowledge.

The interactions between practical knowledge and the textile cluster from 1950 to 1990 is analyzed through Peter Maskell’s distinguish between horizontal and vertical clusters and Lars K. Christensen and Timothy Whislers’ studies into practical knowledge. The source material originates primarily from an ethnological fieldwork conducted among former workers from the hosiery industry and from Midtjysk Textilskole that was founded in 1944 as a school for people working in the textile industry.

In the horizontally dominated period from 1950 to 1970 the practical knowledge was attached to the local area and the single factory. People rarely exchanged knowledge between the factories. Practical knowledge fulfilled the demands of the hosiery factory. The vertically dominated period from 1970 to 1990 made practical knowledge more international. This happened according to a demand of specialization that could not be obtained locally.

Since 1945 the area provided options of following technical courses or education. However this never was something that neither the factory owners nor the workers prioritized. During the entire period practical knowledge was strongly attached to specific machines. This turned out to become a problem since the factories became very conservative in their production. Particularly during the 1980ties this was a problem because the industry kept favoring practical knowledge and failed to meet the new requirements of the markets.