[PDF] African Ways Of Silk eBook

Author : Christopher Spring
Publisher : British museum Press
Page : 96 pages
File Size : 28,36 MB
Release : 2002
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN :

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This text explores the rich and diverse range of silk and textiles from Africa. Focusing on over 30 pieces from the British Museum's collection, it brings together traditions of silk weaving and embroidery from throughout the African continent. These range from textiles commissioned by royalty to multi-coloured burial shrouds.

Author : Judith Thornton
Publisher : University of Washington Press
Page : 498 pages
File Size : 36,33 MB
Release : 2002
Category : History
ISBN : 9780295982106

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"In their introduction the authors bring the textiles to life by examining who made them, how ideas travelled across the continent and the significance of pattern and symbolism. In addition, all the principal techniques are explained while brief commentaries highlight the design features. Whether you are interested in graphic design or technical detail, this inspiring book will be the first to open your eyes to a previously unexplored aspect of Africa."--BOOK JACKET.

Author : Ole Zethner
Publisher : Nordic Institute of Asian Studies
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 23,91 MB
Release : 2015
Category : Sericulture
ISBN : 9789385063077

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Silk has a long history in South Asia, more than 4,000 years. Today sericulture and silk production provide a livelihood to millions of people, not least tribal women. Here India dominates, being the second largest producer of silk in the world after China. The history of mulberry silk is well known and much has been written on its cultivation and production, especially by and for specialists. The scope and purpose of this volume is quite different, however. Aimed at a broader readership, it presents the diversity and complexity of sericulture and silk production across South Asia and Myanmar within a single, richly illustrated book. Significantly, it explores new directions in sericulture, and suggests alternatives to mulberry silk, which is not without environmental and ethical issues. Special attention is paid to Eri silk, similar to soft cotton and regarded as the most world?s comfortable textile. The result is a fascinating exploration of the world of silk in South Asia, a volume that will interest and intrigue silk specialists and general readers alike.

Author : Susan Whitfield
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 426 pages
File Size : 37,34 MB
Release : 2018-03-13
Category : History
ISBN : 0520957660

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Following her bestselling Life Along the Silk Road, Susan Whitfield widens her exploration of the great cultural highway with a new captivating portrait focusing on material things. Silk, Slaves, and Stupas tells the stories of ten very different objects, considering their interaction with the peoples and cultures of the Silk Road—those who made them, carried them, received them, used them, sold them, worshipped them, and, in more recent times, bought them, conserved them, and curated them. From a delicate pair of earrings from a steppe tomb to a massive stupa deep in Central Asia, a hoard of Kushan coins stored in an Ethiopian monastery to a Hellenistic glass bowl from a southern Chinese tomb, and a fragment of Byzantine silk wrapping the bones of a French saint to a Bactrian ewer depicting episodes from the Trojan War, these objects show us something of the cultural diversity and interaction along these trading routes of Afro-Eurasia. Exploring the labor, tools, materials, and rituals behind these various objects, Whitfield infuses her narrative with delightful details as the objects journey through time, space, and meaning. Silk, Slaves, and Stupas is a lively, visual, and tangible way to understand the Silk Road and the cultural, economic, and technical changes of the late antique and medieval worlds.

Author : John Gillow
Publisher : Chronicle Books
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 50,71 MB
Release : 2003-09
Category : Art
ISBN : 0811841669

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Traces a boy's journey across India as he searches for a sacred buffalo bell stolen from his tribe.

Author : James A. Millward
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 169 pages
File Size : 16,85 MB
Release : 2013-04-10
Category : History
ISBN : 0199323852

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The phrase "silk road" evokes vivid scenes of merchants leading camel caravans across vast stretches to trade exotic goods in glittering Oriental bazaars, of pilgrims braving bandits and frozen mountain passes to spread their faith across Asia. Looking at the reality behind these images, this Very Short Introduction illuminates the historical background against which the silk road flourished, shedding light on the importance of old-world cultural exchange to Eurasian and world history. On the one hand, historian James A. Millward treats the silk road broadly, to stand in for the cross-cultural communication between peoples across the Eurasian continent since at least the Neolithic era. On the other, he highlights specific examples of goods and ideas exchanged between the Mediterranean, Persia, India, and China, along with the significance of these exchanges. While including silks, spices, and travelers' tales of colorful locales, the book explains the dynamics of Central Eurasian history that promoted Silk Road interactions--especially the role of nomad empires--highlighting the importance of the biological, technological, artistic, intellectual, and religious interchanges across the continent. Millward shows that these exchanges had a profound effect on the old world that was akin to, if not on the scale of, modern globalization. He also disputes the idea that the silk road declined after the collapse of the Mongol empire or the opening of direct sea routes from Europe to Asia, showing how silk road phenomena continued through the early modern and modern expansion of the Russian and Chinese states across Central Asia. Millward concludes that the idea of the silk road has remained powerful, not only as a popular name for boutiques and restaurants, but also in modern politics and diplomacy, such as U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's "Silk Road Initiative" for India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Author : Tamara Hareven
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 376 pages
File Size : 32,19 MB
Release : 2003-01-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0520935764

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The makers of obi, the elegant and costly sash worn over kimono in Japan, belong to an endangered species. These families of manufacturers, weavers, and other craftspeople centered in the Nishijin weaving district of Kyoto have practiced their demanding craft for generations. In recent decades, however, as a result of declining markets for kimono, they find their livelihood and pride harder to sustain. This book is a poignant exploration of a vanishing world. Tamara Hareven integrates historical research with intensive life history interviews to reveal the relationships among family, work, and community in this highly specialized occupation. Hareven uses her knowledge of textile workers' lives in the United States and Western Europe to show how striking similarities in weavers' experiences transcend cultural differences. These very rich personal testimonies, taken over a decade and a half, provide insight into how these men and women have juggled family and work roles and coped with insecurities. Readers can learn firsthand how weavers perceive their craft and how they interpret their lives and view the world around them. With rare immediacy, The Silk Weavers of Kyoto captures a way of life that is rapidly disappearing.