The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World by Virginia Postrel

When it comes to discussing the importance of textiles in history, Virginia Postrel’s The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World is an essential read. This book is an exploration of the interlocking relationship between cloth, culture, and economics, demonstrating how textiles have been a driving force in the world’s growth and development over the centuries.

After an introduction to the historical significance of textiles, Postrel dives deep into the economics of the textile industry. She argues that the exchanges between cultures enabled through global textile trade were more beneficial to participants than projected during the 19th century, when economists such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo were pessimistic about the potential benefits of international trade. Drawing from archaeological evidence and contemporary case studies, Postrel argues that trade catalyzed global economic growth by introducing new technologies and new market opportunities.

But the economic importance of textiles was not limited to trade. Postrel shows how textile production was a foundational component of early industry and urbanization. The infrastructure needed to mass produce and transport cloth, such as roads and power looms, enabled new industries and cities to spring up as never before. Postrel traces how a global network of knitters, weavers, dyers, and merchants grew up around this infrastructure, creating an interdependent system of production and exchange that shaped industrial centers.

The impact of this industrial development was then multiplied by improvements in transportation. Postrel examines how the rise of the railroad and the steam ship revolutionized the global textile market, allowing for the rapid transportation of goods and for increased exchange between cultures. The rapid spread of new textile technologies and trends enabled by transportation advances revolutionized fashion, fleshed out the modern economy, and increased social mobility through the creation of new job opportunities.

Textiles, then, have been more than just goods; they have been a force for social change. Postrel argues that the labor movement, particularly in Europe and North America, was spurred on by the textile trade. National industrial regulations, workplace safety standards, and labor unions all found their strongest expression in the cotton, wool, and silk industries, setting a precedent for labor advocacy that was emulated by other industries in the decades that followed. Throughout the world, the right of workers to organize and negotiate wages was seen as a logical extension of their right to produce cloth.

Finally, Postrel discusses how textiles have been and continue to be integral to cultural identity. She touches on the visual symbolism of cloth found in ancient codices, traditional ceremonies, and everyday dress, showing how it injected and continues to inject meaning into the developed and developing world. For Postrel, textiles are an important element in our collective narrative and a reminder of the interconnections that form the fabric of civilization.

Virginia Postrel’s The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World is an engrossing and wide-ranging exploration of the role textiles have played in global history. Through her eclectic collection of evidence, Postrel shows that cloth has been much more than a trade commodity; it has been a force for economic development, social change, and cultural expression. Those interested in understanding the impact of textiles on global history and economics will enjoy this captivating read.