From Oaxacan wood carvings to dessert kitchens in provincial France; Critical Craft presents thirteen ethnographies which examine what defines and makes craft in a wide variety of practices from around the world. Challenging the conventional understanding of craft as a survival; a revival; or something that resists capitalism; the book turns instead to the designers; DIY enthusiasts; traditional artisans; and technical programmers who consider their labor to be craft; in order to comprehend how they make sense of it. The authors ethnographic studies focus on the individuals and communities who claim a practice as their own; bypassing the question of craft survival to ask how and why activities termed craft are mobilized and reproduced. Moving beyond regional studies of heritage artisanship; the authors suggest that ideas of craft are by definition part of a larger cosmopolitan dialogue of power and identity. By paying careful attention to these sometimes conflicting voices; this collection shows that there is great flexibility in terms of which activities are labelled craft. In fact; there are many related ideas of craft and these shape distinct engagements with materials; people; and the economy. Case studies from countries including Mexico; Nigeria; India; Taiwan; the Philippines; and France draw together evidence based on linguistics; microsociology; and participant observation to explore the shifting terrain on which those engaged in craft are operating. What emerges is a fascinating picture which shows how claims about craft are an integral part of contemporary global change.
#2337365 in eBooks 2015-10-19 2015-10-19File Name: B0195NB5CE
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