<p>This research paper investigates the presence and dynamics of child labor within the labor process of the handloom sector in West Bengal, India, through the theoretical lens of Marxian political economy. The study develops a comprehensive theoretical framework that synthesizes Marx's labor process theory with empirical observations to conceptualize how children are incorporated into handloom production under different institutional arrangements in a transitional economy. Drawing upon primary data collected from handloom households across five districts of West Bengal, encompassing children engaged in handloom activities, the research examines the contradictory nature of child labor at the intersection of pre-capitalist and capitalist production relations. The theoretical framework establishes that the labor process in handloom weaving exhibits distinctive patterns of child incorporation through the dialectical interaction of the three elements identified by Marx: the subject of labor (handloom activities), instruments of labor (means of production), and human activity (labor categories and ownership types). Statistical analysis validates this framework, demonstrating that children predominantly engage in specific production processes with lower skill requirements, following age-based progression pathways through task hierarchies. The research identifies three primary institutional arrangements household production, the Mahajan (merchant-financier) system, and independent production that create significantly different conditions for child labor utilization, with the Mahajan system associated with greater labor intensity, higher educational disruption, and increased economic dependency. This analysis offers critical insights relevant to SDG Target 8.7's aim to eliminate child labor. The research reveals how various entrepreneurial structures in the handloom sector from exploitative Mahajan arrangements to more balanced cooperative models differently impact children's participation, suggesting pathways for intervention. By examining how institutional transformations could preserve cultural knowledge transmission while eliminating exploitative practices, the study contributes to understanding how entrepreneurial restructuring might align traditional sectors with decent work objectives. The theoretical synthesis advances our understanding of how pre-capitalist and capitalist elements interact in transitional economies, creating hybrid forms of labor processes that contain both skill apprenticeship and exploitative elements, providing a framework for developing nuanced policy approaches that address economic vulnerabilities while supporting sustainable entrepreneurship and cultural heritage preservation.</p>