Travels Of A T-Shirt In A Global Economy Summary

Answer 1: Travels of a T-Shirt in a Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli is based on the question of where a basic T-shirt bought at a store like Wal-Mart comes from. Pietra Rivoli, an economics professor at Georgetown University, began searching through the background of the flow of globalism. In her novel, she makes it apparent that globalism became so abruptly and altered the lives of not only Americans but for people around the world. Through four parts, Rivoli is able to fully analysis and connect the steps regarding the process of making this simple basic good. The first part, King Cotton, analyzes the initial step in the manufacturing of a T-shirt– growing the cotton. This part strictly focuses on the basis of cotton, the history of cotton development, the impact of slavery, and the results of abolishing slavery, including the costs cotton growers had to face. Rivoli touches upon the different types of labor occurring through this time from slavery, sharecropping, the Bracero program, company towns, and even how the government provided funds for research on the best ways to grow cotton. In addition, she highlights on the Manifest Destiny which was driving cotton-growers further out west, resulting in cotton becoming easier to grow and also protect. Made in China Part II, begins with cotton being exported to China so the …show more content…
Through the numerous textile and trade agreements the U.S. has put forth since World War II, politics has remained to have power. Specifically why the T-shirt comes from Texas and why it is made in China has to do a great deal with politics. Coming from Texas, the manufacturing of the shirt has to do with the public policy towards agriculture from past and present day. Similar to the idea of public policy in Texas, the way China manages its migration inside the countries, how it producing a mass volume of T-shirts also deals with their specific public