Papers by Rinzin O. Dorji
Textile Museum Journal, 2019
Abstract | PLEASE NOTE CORRECTION ON PAGE 59. TEXT STRUCK OUT IN RED SHOULD READ: "The Dowager Qu... more Abstract | PLEASE NOTE CORRECTION ON PAGE 59. TEXT STRUCK OUT IN RED SHOULD READ: "The Dowager Queen Gyalyum"
After more than two centuries of industrialized textile production, despite the displacement
of textiles into the margins of modern life, handweaving persists. While each instance
of successful manufacture is unique, commonalities can be identified that build towards an
understanding of contemporary roles for handmade cloth and the factors that bear on its
survival. This essay aims to consider Bhutan’s success in supporting and evolving handwoven
textiles as a model of maintaining handmade cloth in the twenty-first century. The narrative
relates the ups and downs of Bhutanese handweaving in the decades before and since the
millennium, presenting the complex interplay that has influenced the ways handwoven textiles
are made and used in modern Bhutan. In this sometimes chaotic scenario, patterns emerge
that illuminate the situation of textiles in Bhutan and indicate bases for comparison with other
regions where handmade textiles struggle, yet survive. Although Bhutan’s textile saga is unique
in many ways, particularly because of the country’s powerful monarchy and self-imposed
isolation, the essay highlights central elements of Bhutan’s success in maintaining the vigor
of handmade cloth that can be relevant anywhere that weaving remains part of modern life.1
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Papers by Rinzin O. Dorji
After more than two centuries of industrialized textile production, despite the displacement
of textiles into the margins of modern life, handweaving persists. While each instance
of successful manufacture is unique, commonalities can be identified that build towards an
understanding of contemporary roles for handmade cloth and the factors that bear on its
survival. This essay aims to consider Bhutan’s success in supporting and evolving handwoven
textiles as a model of maintaining handmade cloth in the twenty-first century. The narrative
relates the ups and downs of Bhutanese handweaving in the decades before and since the
millennium, presenting the complex interplay that has influenced the ways handwoven textiles
are made and used in modern Bhutan. In this sometimes chaotic scenario, patterns emerge
that illuminate the situation of textiles in Bhutan and indicate bases for comparison with other
regions where handmade textiles struggle, yet survive. Although Bhutan’s textile saga is unique
in many ways, particularly because of the country’s powerful monarchy and self-imposed
isolation, the essay highlights central elements of Bhutan’s success in maintaining the vigor
of handmade cloth that can be relevant anywhere that weaving remains part of modern life.1
After more than two centuries of industrialized textile production, despite the displacement
of textiles into the margins of modern life, handweaving persists. While each instance
of successful manufacture is unique, commonalities can be identified that build towards an
understanding of contemporary roles for handmade cloth and the factors that bear on its
survival. This essay aims to consider Bhutan’s success in supporting and evolving handwoven
textiles as a model of maintaining handmade cloth in the twenty-first century. The narrative
relates the ups and downs of Bhutanese handweaving in the decades before and since the
millennium, presenting the complex interplay that has influenced the ways handwoven textiles
are made and used in modern Bhutan. In this sometimes chaotic scenario, patterns emerge
that illuminate the situation of textiles in Bhutan and indicate bases for comparison with other
regions where handmade textiles struggle, yet survive. Although Bhutan’s textile saga is unique
in many ways, particularly because of the country’s powerful monarchy and self-imposed
isolation, the essay highlights central elements of Bhutan’s success in maintaining the vigor
of handmade cloth that can be relevant anywhere that weaving remains part of modern life.1