Arts & Culture

Guard

On the global scale of carpet production, including production of "persian" rugs in Pakistan and China using child labor: 

//bcm.bc.edu/issues/summer_2005/ft_carpet.html 

On child labor in Iran in different industries, including brick making, mechanic shops, street vending, and carpet weaving.  

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-XCbP7WJEM&feature=related

Unfortunately, it is difficult to access many of the production sites in the rural areas, and although labor conditions have improved in and child labor has decreased, due to the rise in competition over the global market between iran, china, south east asia, etc, laboring conditions are destined to worsen. The point is, rugs are no longer made as artistic expressions of human creativity, they are luxury commodities that are mass produced for their exchange value as opposed to their intrinsic and artistic value. It is n longer an art, but a business with the sole purpose of profit making. Its profitability and market competitiveness, in turn, is dependent upon cheap labor normally embodied in the racialized rural (rural migrant) children. 

Payam - Any new information on how it is now?

Any new concrete evidential information about the working conditions now?

Thanks!

It used to be an art!

Since the mid 19th century when iran was incorporated into the capitalist world economy and had to produce to respond to the world market (mainly for European consumption), this art was transformed into a perverted commodity which entailed immeasurable misery and suffereing for those who produced it. Many things are missing from the video. Where are the 9 year old rural children who worked 14 hours/day under the brutal working conditions, and merciless control of the workshop owners, where are the wips. Where are the girls and boys whose malnourished little bodies were literally deformed due to long hours spent sitting on benches weaving these rugs (the pride and glory of the persians). These conditions still persist to a large extent. I see nothing in these rugs but child slavery and greed. The art is gone once it is commodified and perverted. 

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Super interesting! An ancient art! I liked the part that they used a bow to soften the fleece!