Textiles in Indian Ocean Societies: (Routledge Indian Ocean Series)

Textiles in Indian Ocean Societies considers the importance of trade, and the transformation of the meaning of objects has the move between different cultures. It also addresses issues of gender, ethnic and religious identity, and economic status. The book covers a broad geographic range from East Africa to Southeast Asia, and references a number of disciplines such as anthropology, art history and history. This volume is timely, as both the social sciences and historical studies have developed a new interest in material culture. Edited by a foremost expert in the region, it will add considerably to our understanding of historical and current societies in the Indian Ocean region.

Table of Contents:
List of figures Contributors Preface Ruth Barnes 1. Introduction Ruth Barnes 2. Rome and India: Early Indian cotton textiles from Berenike, Red Sea coast of Egypt John Peter Wild and Felicity Wild 3. Far-flung Fabrics: Indian textiles in ancient maritime trade Himanshu Prabha Ray 4. 'Portuguese' Carpets from Khorasan, Persia Steven Cohen 5. Textile as Commodity, Dress as Text: Swahili kanga and women's statements David Parkin 6. The kofia tradition of Zanzibar: The implicit and explicit discourse of men's head-dress in an Indian Ocean society Zulfikar Hirji 7. Ze maneva aze: Looking for patterns in Malagasy cloth Sarah Fee 8. Cosmopolitan Tastes and Indigenous Designs: Virtual cloth in a Javanese candi Mary-Louise Totton 9. Textiles of Jambi (Sumatra) and the Indian Ocean Trade Fiona Kerlogue 10. Moving between Cultures: Textiles as a Source of Innovation in Kedang, Eastern Indonesia Ruth Barnes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Ruth Barnes works at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University. Her many previous publications include Dress and Gender: Making and Meaning in Cultural Contexts (co-editor); Indian Block Printed Cotton Fragments in the Kelsey Museum; Indian Block Printed Textiles in Egypt; and Weaving Patterns of Life.