Authenticity
Craft Imaginaries – Past, Present and Future.
Informed by history and critical theory, this article explores how the values represented by the craft disciplines (such as respect for materials, the environment, and manual labour) can counteract the negative legacies of industrialization (such as an emphasis on cheap mass production, and the incentivization of environmental and human exploitation). Craft cultures can generate new possibilities for society by creatively reviving the traditions of the past and holding space for new versions of modern life that are enriched by social integration, communal memory, a sense of place, and respect for labour. The authors name this generative potential “the craft imaginary.” They caution that while craft can inform social values in positive ways, there is a danger that these ethical positions can themselves become consumer products, while the traditionalism of craft can become rigid or overly nostalgic. To properly contribute to desirable futures, craft should remain adaptable and open to the influence of changing social conditions and new technologies, while grounding itself in the humane, place-based values that constitute its roots.
Bell, Emma, M. Tina Dacin, and Maria Laura Toraldo. 2021. "Craft Imaginaries – Past, Presentand Future." Organization Theory 2 (1): 2631787721991141. https://doi.org/10.1177/2.
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