This public lecture is now available as: MP3 (please listen to the file below in three parts - starts at 0:40) and PDF (as a courtesy to the presenter, please contact him for permission to refer to his PowerPoint notes for the purpose of further research).
The period between the late eighteenth and the late twentieth centuries has been considered as one of economic ‘divergence’ between Europe and Asia. My paper discusses the role of cottons – the first industrial commodity – in the creation of divergence. Key to my research project is the explanation of when, how, and why Europe replaced Asia as the main area of production and trade of cotton textiles and the profound effects that this generated. Cotton was central to the creation of a ‘new global system’ increasingly presided over by Europe, not Asia. It argues in particular that technological development was just one among the many factors explaining this transition. The importance of raw materials, markets for products and consumers’ preferences, and the increasing political power of European nations over vast areas of the globe are also crucial variables in understanding the divergent paths of Europe and Asia.
Giorgio Riello is Associate Professor in Global History and Culture. He completed his PhD in History at University College London and has a degree in Business Studies from the University of Venice. He taught previously at the London School of Economics and the Royal College of Art/ Victoria and Albert Museum, and is recipient of the Leverhulme Prize, the Stanford Humanities Center fellowship, and the Newcomen Business History Prize. He published more than 30 articles and papers, and also several books, including The Fashion History Reader (Routledge 2010), The Spinning World: A Global History of Cotton Textiles, 1250-1850 (Oxford 2009), and Global Design History (Routledge 2011). His current research focuses on changes in consumer demand and their impact on the spheres of production and material culture, specifically in relation to textiles and clothing.
To view the flyer for this event please see: Global Cotton: The Fibre that Made Europe Rich, 1400-1800
