Salaula

The World of Secondhand Clothing

Karen Tranberg Hansen

 

Synopsis

When we donate our unwanted clothes to charity, we rarely think about what will happen to them: who will sort and sell them, and finally, who will revive and wear them. In this fascinating look at the multibillion dollar secondhand clothing business, Karen Tranberg Hansen takes us around the world from the West, where clothing is donated, through the salvage houses in North America and Europe, where it is sorted and compressed.

Review

By unraveling how these garments becomes entangled in the economic, political, and cultural processes of contemporary Zambia, Hansen also raises provocative questions about environmentalism, charity, recycling, and thrift.

Author

Karen Tranberg Hansen is a socio-cultural anthropologist. She is professor emerita at Northwestern University with a focus on Urban Anthropology, Political Economy, and Southern Africa.