Fusing aesthetic and economic analyses, Embroidering Lives investigates the lives and work of women in the chikan embroidery industry of Lucknow, India. Richly descriptive and accessibly written, the book explores many important issues in women"s studies, anthropology, and urban development today - the impact of purdah (seclusion of women) upon women"s work and occupational opportunities, the key role of sub-contractors in home-based industry, the need to understand a handicraft from its makers" point of view, and the role of development agencies and programs.