Soviet Textiles ISBN 0-87846-703-3 / 978-0-87846-703-7 Paperback, 8 x 9 in. / 96 pgs / 52 color. / U.S. $24.95 CDN $30.00 August / Design

'Russian Textiles' showcases printed-cotton textiles created and manufactured in Russia and exported to Central Asia from around 1860 to 1960. More than 175 patterns spanning a variety of different styles, from Art Nouveau florals to Soviet-era agitprop, are featured.

The traditional textiles of Central Asia are unknown treasures. Straddling the legendary Silk Road, this vast region stretches from Russia in the west to China in the east. Whether nomadic or sedentary, its peoples created textiles for every aspect of their way of life, from ceremonial objects marking rites of passage, to everyday garments, to practical items for the home. There were suzanis for the marriage bed; prayer mats; patchwork quilts; bridal ensembles; bags for tea, scissors, and mirrors; lovingly embroidered hats and bibs; and robes of every color and pattern. Author Susan Meller has spent years assembling the 590 textiles illustrated in this book. She documents their history, use, and meaning through archival photographs and fascinating travelers’ narratives spanning many centuries. Her book will be a revelation to designers, collectors, students of Central Asia, and travelers to the region. Silk and Cotton is destined to become a classic.

The edited volume discusses the role of textile heritage in relation to the dynamics of nation building, cultural identity, politics, economy and the globalization of markets. It was sparked by a research project investigating the role of textiles, textile design and contemporary fashion in the post-Soviet societies of Central Asia and also includes perspectives on similar developments in Algeria and Peru in order to question dichotomous narrations of modernity relations between textile cultures and heritage building, cultural property, and the concept of cultural heritage. Thus, this book intends to stimulate the ongoing debate about textile culture as national heritage or as means of nation branding.

This impressive collection offers the first systematic global and comparative history of textile workers over the course of 350 years. This period covers the major changes in wool and cotton production, and the global picture from pre-industrial times through to the twentieth century. After an introduction, the first part of the book is divided into twenty national studies on textile production over the period 1650–2000. To make them useful tools for international comparisons, each national overview is based on a consistent framework that defines the topics and issues to be treated in each chapter. The countries described have been selected to included the major historic producers of woollen and cotton fabrics, and the diversity of global experience, and include not only European nations, but also Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, Uruguay and the USA. The second part of the book consists of ten comparative papers on topics including globalization and trade, organization of production, space, identity, workplace, institutions, production relations, gender, ethnicity and the textile firm. These are based on the national overviews and additional literature, and will help apply current interdisciplinary and cultural concerns to a subject traditionally viewed largely through a social and economic history lens. Whilst offering a unique reference source for anyone interested in the history of a particular country's textile industry, the true strength of this project lies in its capacity of international comparison. By providing global comparative studies of key textile industries and workers, both geographically and thematically, this book provides a comprehensive and contemporary analysis of a major element of the world's economy. This allows historians to challenge many of the received ideas about globalization, for instance, highlighting how global competition for lower production costs is by no means a uniquely modern issue, and has been a feature of textile production for much of the last 350 years. As such this collection will be welcomed by all scholars engaged in the history of the textile industry and international trade.