Commercialization of Summary

Article Name Ethnic Crafts

Commercialization of ethnic crafts has complex interwoven factors with an array of political, cultural, economical, and reli-
Author Erik Cohen gious factors. Two important aspects are talked about significantly in this article, on the basis of how the craftsmen view
their artwork throughout the journey of creating.
Four principal types of processes of commercialization can be defined on the basis of these two factors:
Publisher Oxford University Press
1. Complementary Commercialization;
Craftsmen produce their crafts for both local use and to sell to outsiders, such as tourists. In the absence of external quality
Place of Publishing control, products intended for sale tend quickly to degenerate into simple trinkets and cheap souvenirs, devoid of ethno-
Oxford, United Kingdom
graphic or aesthetic value.

1989 2.Substitutive Commercialization;

Year of Publishing
In the absence of strongly maintained canons of style and quality control, many indigenous craftsmen are driven out of
business. The catering towards the external audience inevitably leads to the loss of aesthetic value of the craftwork. Once
Internal and External audi- the novelty wears off, it is difficult to reach a profit and the craft gradually dies out.
Key Concepts ence, Rehabilitative,
Encroaching, Substitutive, 3. Encroaching Commercialization;
Complementary, Mass In this type of commercialization, a group of natives are not considered part of the craft industry. They are employed by an
production, Handcrafted external agency to come up with marketable products. This can be considered as 'indirect tourism' as they do not have
direct access to the craft market.
Ethnic crafts, cultural
Keywords products, feedback 4.Rehabilitative Commercialization;
impact, types of com- In this type, the declining crafts of an ethnic group are revived and encouraged to produce for an external market. It appears
mercialization, spon- to be the most common type of commercialization in the contemporary world. Its impact on the local culture will be much
taenity, market, audi- less serious than in the previous type.
ence, economical,
factors Conclusion;
Commercialization of ethnic crafts has a profound impact on the identity of the ethnic people, as well as on their economy,
society, and culture. Even a vital culture is not necessarily destroyed by the spontaneous diversion of part of its products to
the market. Commercialized craft products are themselves cultural products, though often of a 'transitional' nature.

Tanya Saini
TD UG20
S2000037
Craft Doc Orientation