Malay society of the past has usually been characterized by the presence of the peasantry, a pre-modern class of producers, tied to the land and beholden to a feudalistic or feudal-like ruling structure. In contrast, this book explores the diversity which in fact colours the economic history of the Malays. The subject of this book is a relatively unknown class of people, the handloom weavers, who played a decisive role in the economies of the eastern Malay states of Terengganu, Kelantan, and Pahang. Today, the products of these handloom weavers, the beautiful hand-woven sarongs and cloths, grace the most elegant and auspicious of occasions. What is the story behind the vicissitudes, often brutal, of textile production in the early or proto-industrial phases of the Malay economy? Why was the handloom industry, at its height, halted from realizing its full potential of trans-forming into a full-fledged industrial manufacture? What exactly is the putting-out system of production and how did men and women actualize their roles in such production regimes? Why did the putting-out system endure? In answering such questions this book explores the origins of the Malay handloom industry, its technology, its people, and its turbulent relationship with the ambitions of both the colonial and modern nation-states.

"Through an analysis of specific weaving stories, the difference between a text and a textile becomes blurred. Such stories portray women weavers transforming their domestic activity of making textiles into one of making texts by inscribing their cloth with both personal and political messages."--BOOK JACKET.

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.

In this retelling of a tale from Ghana, a wondrous spider shows two Ashanti weavers how to make intricate, colorful patterns in the cloth that they weave.