Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I Global Textiles; Prologue: Three French Women and Their Troublesome Textiles; 1 Global Fabrics: The French Trade in Asian and Asian-Style Textiles; Part II Smuggling; 2 Smuggling Textiles into France; 3 Smuggled Textiles Worn in France: The Politics of Privilege and the Violence of Fashion; Part III The Making of Economic Liberalism; 4 The State of Knowledge; 5 Enlightenment Campaigning; Conclusion; Appendices; I French East India Company Textile imports
II French Levant Trade Textile ImportsIII A Comparison of French Textile Imports via the Levant and via the East India Companies; IV Convictions by the Commission de Valence; Notes; Select Bibliography; Index
Summary
Imported from India, China, the Levant, and Persia and appreciated for their diversity, designs, fast bright colours and fine weave, Asian textiles became so popular in France that in 1686 the state banned their import, consumption and imitation. A fateful decision. This book tells the story of smuggling on a vast scale, savvy retailers and rebellious consumers. It also reveals how reformers in the French administration itself sponsored a global effort to acquire the technological know-how necessary to produce such textiles and how the vitriolic debates surrounding the eventual abolition of the ban were one of the decisive moments in the development of Enlightenment economic liberalism
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes
Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed May 27, 2016)
