GLOBAL THREADS

By Sibia Akhtar

In July 2024, Global Threads team member and Associate Curator at the Science and Industry Museum, Sibia Akhtar delivered a presentation and Q&A session entitled “Global Threads: Co-producing histories of international networks” as part of the Institute of Historical Research’s People, Place, and Community Seminar Series, which you can watch above and on the IHR’s website.

In the workshop Sibia discusses the motivations, methods, and findings from the research she conducted to create her case studies on Elk Mill in her home town of Oldham and exploring Gandhi’s visit to Lancashire through the prism of khadi cloth and the political significance of clothing.

We also learn about the activities and practices of the Global Threads team engaging museum visitors in thinking about textiles, clothing, and historical and global connections to Manchester’s cotton as well as Sibia’s experiences of working on the project and her role as an Associate Curator working on the Science and Industry Museum’s Power Hall.