Part one of the Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy explains the rise and history of cotton production. It focuses on Lubbock, Texas which today, is one of the major cotton producers in the world. The text explains that Lubbock thrives in the global economy because of a concentration of knowledge, technology, and talent focused on cotton agriculture in the area, and because of this it is known as the “Silicon Valley of agriculture.” Right next to Lubbock is Texas Tech University which is focused on agriculture and helps further develop techniques and technology for more efficiently producing cotton. Due to this orientation the cotton industry in Lubbock is very much asset-oriented. The second part of the readings talk about how China fits into the cotton industry and interacts with American produced cotton. The United States’ cotton exports rely on China’s textile production for its market. China has become dominant in the textile industry. To support this industry the book explains that married women with hungry children are targeted as workers as they are desperate for work. This is honestly an exploitation of poor people that goes unregulated. Women are also preferred for their “docility.” This phenomena is explained in Chapter 7 in which the ideal factory worker is described. When control is necessary to be productive, there is something wrong. Human rights are not being respected in this industry, and people are exploited to produce a t-shirt, as explained in these chapters.
1 comment:
It is interesting to see how China and the US depend on each other in a macro setting, but I find it even more interesting on the micro level. It was fascinating to learn that most of China's textile industry depends on Texan Cotton as it is the largest producer of cotton in the country. Once the cotton is exported to China and is processed into textiles, it is almost incredible to see that we export it and pay a tariff on it even though the raw materials come from within the US.
Post a Comment