Series: Bloomsbury World Encyclopedia of Embroidery

Winner of the 2017 Dartmouth Medal of the American Library Association Best Single Volume Reference/Humanities and Social Sciences: The PROSE Awards 2017 Named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year 2017 For thousands of years, embroidered textiles have been produced across North Africa and the Middle East to decorate public buildings, homes, and animals, as well as to clothe...

For centuries, the peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa have been producing domestic and professional embroidery to decorate themselves, their families, clients, homes, and public spaces. Embroidery is an expression of artistic, personal, family, regional, and even political creativity, which has played an important role in the social and cultural lives of people throughout the region. It has also reflected economic and...