Center for South Asia Lecture Series

In this talk, Abigail McGowan, University of Vermont, will explore the intersection of art and economics through the specific example of jail carpets. Jail carpet factories were founded with direct economic goals: to earn money for jails and to build skills so that convicts could earn a living upon release. Those same factories were also, however, intimately involved in late nineteenth century cultural debates about design, craftsmanship and Indian tradition.