The Value(s) of Crafting in the 21st Century
During most the 20th Century large-scale industrial manufacturing was considered the obvious direction for production, with manual making techniques treated as obsolete, or at best obsolescent. From the 1980s, the decline of heavy industry in the West, and the rise of post-industrial service-led digital economies was hailed as the next stage of social evolution. Yet, throughout all this time, small-scale manual making, crafting, has retained its importance and viability both in the West and across the developing world, though in very different ways. Whilst specific crafts are often financially important for individuals and local communities, they are also relevant in other ways. These include providing opportunities for personal self-expression, assisting in local community cohesion, and expressing local, regional and national identities. This lecture will include case studies of diverse crafts from Africa, America, Asia and Europe, as well as an explanation of how these different craft practices and craft products from a variety of locations support a range of non-economic social aspects.