Clothing is used in every culture to express ethnic and cultural identity. It is heavily laden with symbols that often function along social lines. This research project will focus on the use of cloth and textiles in establishing and maintaining cultural identity among marginalized ethnic groups in developing countries with significant out-migration. Specifically the researcher will look at the Andean groups in Sacaca, Bolivia in order to study the socio-economic conditions of textile production and use. Textiles are also becoming important economically. The study will investigate the productive roles of Andean women, who weave textiles for the international market in ethnic art. This research will advance studies of the semiotic and economic aspects of cultural systems. While there is extensive literature on the technical and iconographic features of Andean textiles, little research has been done on meaning and cloth's place in the cultural system in a political, economic, and historical context.
