Making, Knowing, Resisting: Anthropology of Craft

Catalog description

This course focuses on crafting as a social and political process that makes and remakes worlds. "Craft" has historically denoted a lesser form of art, deemphasizing the skill and embodied labor of making. In contrast to "art" or "technology", terms which are taken to imply expertise and progress, many people assume "craft" to signify an isolated (and often gendered) domestic hobby. And yet, anthropology and history demonstrate that crafting is a potent tool of resistance, regardless of the setting where it takes place or who undertakes it. Crafting reshapes bodies, materials, and places, making it a powerful concept for examining the structures that produce social difference and the people who transform them. In this class, we take as our point of departure that practices of making are transformative modalities of thinking and planning; it is a way for people to struggle, protest, and enact social change. We begin by querying notions of craft, industry, labor, art, and technology. We problematize the craft concept through an anthropological lens, looking at case studies across time and space: from 19th century abolitionist quilts to contemporary "craftivism" (e.g., knitted "melt the ice" hats). By dissecting social and political theory alongside case studies, we examine gender ideologies, social identity, affect, and human-environment relationships. In tandem with our seminar discussions, students engage in a weekly Making Practice resulting in a Final Craftivism Project connected to a social problem of their choice. No prior crafting experience is necessary!