Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Articles Article Faculty Publications -Articles Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Women's empowerment through the silk industry of Assam, India, and its underlying economy Subject The topic of the resource Anti-bacterial; Anti-fungal; Assam; Castor oil; Eri; Handloom; Handmade; Hypoallergenic; Kamrup; Koch dynasty; Muga; Pat; Sericin; Uninflammable; Women's empowerment Description An account of the resource In the medieval era, the Royal families of Assam, India produced Muga silk fabrics. During the time of the Koch Dynasty (Historical Koch Country), Muga silk from ancient Pragjyotishpur and Koch Behar became an integral part of the trade with Bengal, Bhutan, Tibet, and the Mughals. Most households in Assam weave cloth and every girl child in the household acquires weaving skills at a very young age from her mother. In Sualkuchi, a town in Assam, there are approximately 6,872 female weavers. These weavers are very concerned about the preservation of traditional handloom weaving as they feel that over time the skills required for this could disappear. They feel that they are unable to work as efficiently in their old age as they had in their youth. The automated machine seems to be a sign of hope for them, but at the same time, they have a strong attachment to the traditional handlooms. Quite recently, the traders have started procuring traditional garments manufactured from cloth made by automated machines. This is a threat to the local weavers since these garments are sold at a lower price, and this poses a challenge to the traditional handloom fabrics of Assam. A sustainable model needs to be incorporated to improve the conditions of the local weavers. The introduction of modern techniques and business strategies will help to empower the weavers. Muga is a noninflammable, anti-bacterial, natural, lustrous gold fabric which absorbs UV rays from sunlight. Pat silk is hypoallergenic, and it contains sericin, which reduces allergic reactions in the skin. Eri is antifungal, and this makes it a unique fabric for face masks, baby clothes, undergarments, blankets, quilts, medical uses, mosquito nets or special attire to protect one from UV rays, fungus, bacteria, and insects. The full range of the unique qualities of the fabrics of Assam should be widely publicized to increase the consumer demand for these handlooms. The area also has the potential to make castor oil out of the castor plant (Ricinus Communis Linn), which is a fed to the Eri Silkworm. 2020 Journal of International Women's Studies. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Singha R.; Singha S. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Journal of International Women's Studies, Vol-21, No. 5, pp. 9-31. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Bridgewater State College Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-01-01 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <a href="" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85091718065&amp;partnerID=40&amp;md5=21e8edea8bec281ce608c8bd330cfb9b" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85091718065&amp;partnerID=40&amp;md5=21e8edea8bec281ce608c8bd330cfb9b</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Restricted Access Relation A related resource ISSN: 15398706 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Online Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Article Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Singha R., CHRIST Deemed to be University, India; Singha S., CHRIST Deemed to be University, India, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), India