CARPET WEAVERS AND WEAVING IN THE ... - Cornell University

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necessitates the implementation of standards expected in the consumer economies. Turkey’s attempt to join the EU may also impact the weaving industry. At the moment most weavers work in the informal economy, without any protection in the form of social security. Even without social security payments to make many manufacturers find Turkish labor to be too expensive and are moving their production farther east. Until recently there was skepticism in Turkey as to whether EU membership talks would move forward and therefore Turkey did not begin reforms until after the Helsinki summit of 1999 (Schimmelfennig, Engert and Knobel 2005, 42-43). With the inclusion of weavers in the social security system the cost of their labor will increase further. Even so, if Turkey comes under the Common Agricultural Policy, the benefits to the agricultural sector could make weaving for cash unnecessary in some rural areas. On the other hand, if Turkey is able to get protection under EU intellectual property-rights law, this could decrease competition from other countries and discourage Turkish manufacturers from outsourcing labor. All goods produced by countries in the EU must be marked with their nation of origin, and thus carpets from Turkmenistan or Nepal sold in the Europe could not be labeled Turkish carpets. This area raises important questions that impact my research. What implications do the changes in the legal and market conditions of carpet production have for rural women who weave carpets? Will they have different effects depending on the mode of production and the geographic location? How is the government helping the industry to adjust? These questions provide a basis for discussing the possible impacts of global and national policies on the lives of weavers. 22
2.4.1 Modes of production Past research, conducted mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, has identified three types of production structures by which carpets are woven as commodities (Berik 1986; Landreau 1995; Incirioglu 1991). These are petty-commodity production, the putting- out system, and workshop production. Petty-commodity production involves weaving in the home, with the male head of the household or other male relatives selling the finished product to a carpet dealer or at a local or regional market. The family owns the loom and other weaving supplies and family members purchase or prepare the yarn themselves. Under the putting-out system, the loom and other equipment is supplied by a dealer who collects the finished product. Following the workshop model, weavers work in a centralized location, away from their homes, with all materials and patterns supplied by a manufacturer. Under all three systems women may be paid by the piece, by the knot, or by the square meter. These different modes of production are suited to different settings. Where women are able to weave only intermittently due to other duties they are likely to weave in the home as this form of production can be stopped and started at will. Indeed, that is how weaving and many other art forms primarily practiced by women (crochet, needle-point lace etc.) developed – as a way of filling in ‘spare time’ with activities that did not distract from other domestic responsibilities and could bring some cash into the family. This mode of production is most suited to areas that have intensive year-round crops (as in the case of diversified cash crops), or where families are small and thus weavers must be able to interrupt their work on carpets to perform other tasks. Putting-out or petty commodity modes are also more likely where there 23
Page 1 and 2: CARPET WEAVERS AND WEAVING IN THE G
Page 3 and 4: ABSTRACT The purpose of this study
Page 5 and 6: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Born in Boston,
Page 7 and 8: TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introd
Page 9 and 10: LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Geometri
Page 11 and 12: CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This thesis
Page 13 and 14: university professors, and governme
Page 15 and 16: 2.1 Introduction CHAPTER 2 REVIEW O
Page 17 and 18: fact the last guarantors of the sur
Page 19 and 20: Low wages and exploitation of worke
Page 21 and 22: of the informal economy, slipping t
Page 23 and 24: weavers and weavers to the market,
Page 25 and 26: about the history and significance
Page 27 and 28: unaccompanied by men of the family
Page 29 and 30: that we don’t do in this village
Page 31: ural areas, though in some areas by
Page 35 and 36: encouraged to work long hours (Beri
Page 37 and 38: ‘inevitability’ of such work as
Page 39 and 40: were formed with an eye towards fam
Page 41 and 42: I therefore propose that Turkish ca
Page 43 and 44: Figure 2.4 "Aged" Milas carpets Not
Page 45 and 46: maintain high quality weaving that
Page 47 and 48: purchase carpets from men of weavin
Page 49 and 50: well as the condition of the villag
Page 51 and 52: always an option (and even when it
Page 53 and 54: 2.6 Conclusion This chapter has sho
Page 55 and 56: later analysis and comparison. Addi
Page 57 and 58: improper use of the recording devic
Page 59 and 60: ministry had not been able to prese
Page 61 and 62: Figure 3.2 Carpets woven for first
Page 63 and 64: sent from Turkey to China and the c
Page 65 and 66: The manager was interviewed using t
Page 67 and 68: 3.6.1 Comlekci The population of Co
Page 69 and 70: Feslegen was a village of 498 in 20
Page 71 and 72: An interview, using the same list o
Page 73 and 74: villages, and the Export Promotion
Page 75 and 76: following both geometric and curvil
Page 77 and 78: Figure 3.12 Geometric carpets for s
Page 79 and 80: 4.1 Introduction CHAPTER 4 RESULTS
Page 81 and 82: different sections of a carpet at t
Page 83 and 84:
Figure 4.2 Dowry carpets in house i
Page 85 and 86:
competition from countries with low
Page 87 and 88:
governmentally mandated eighth-grad
Page 89 and 90:
income. Carpets are bought by Sumer
Page 91 and 92:
areas where weaving is only a low-s
Page 93 and 94:
colors with which they weave. In th
Page 95 and 96:
University found that weavers in th
Page 97 and 98:
Workshop production is somewhat dif
Page 99 and 100:
Figure 4.8a Handwoven carpets, prob
Page 101 and 102:
ideas of interior design influencin
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dealers offer better prices in orde
Page 105 and 106:
given area). The higher the skill o
Page 107 and 108:
unlikely to be receiving Social Sec
Page 109 and 110:
The wide variety of places across t
Page 111 and 112:
5.1 Introduction CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY
Page 113 and 114:
continued lightening affirms findin
Page 115 and 116:
5.2.3 In what ways is the Turkish g
Page 117 and 118:
supporting micro- to macro-enterpri
Page 119 and 120:
farther east with lower labor and m
Page 121 and 122:
could also investigate whether weav
Page 123 and 124:
How did you learn to weave? (How ol
Page 125 and 126:
Do you think that this is a fair wa
Page 127 and 128:
Cohen, Jeffrey H. “Textile Produc
Page 129 and 130:
Landreau, Anthony. “Anatolian Rug
Page 131 and 132:
_________. “Export Markets and Th
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