Storied objects: A visual analysis of humanitarian handicrafts

• In Event: Research Approaches to Globalization & Education

Proposal

My research utilizes qualitative and visual methods to investigate the ways Canadian craft vendors support international development causes through the sale of handmade and handcrafted objects, such as beaded jewellery, woven baskets, and crocheted handbags. Initially inspired by Malkki’s (2015) decade of ethnographic research and analysis of three humanitarian handicraft campaigns in Finland, and building upon Gill, Barber, and Taithe’s (2021) curation of a humanitarian handicraft exhibit in the United Kingdom, my research similarly responds to the question: “How do humanitarian handicrafts encode a relationship between consumer and producer, or between buyer and cause, at any one point and place?” (Gill, Barber, and Taithe, 2021, p. 9). Methodologically, I employed object elicitation techniques: craft vendors brought a selection of items and reflected on their meanings during the interviews, similar to show-and-tell. I had intended to conduct the study in-person, but then pivoted to online video calls due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this presentation, I examine the ways craft vendors engaged visual imagery and physical objects to foster a sense connection between the Canadian customer and the international artisan – a discursive construction that Polynczuk-Alenius and Pantti (2017) refer to as “solidarity through affinity.” First, participants described a particular scene – a craft circle – in which women artisans gather together to make crafts and share stories in an intimate and enjoyable atmosphere. Craft vendors typically relayed this scene to substantiate their commitment to ethical working conditions and to distance themselves from mass production practices. Second, participants referenced a series of display objects – such as tags, labels, and brochures – which are presented alongside or attached to the humanitarian handicraft in order to communicate its “story” and to ensure artisans receive authorial recognition for their work. In line with the conference theme, I also show how humanitarian handicrafts are imbued with educational goals: they are meant to raise awareness about social and economic inequities, but at the same time, they “place the solution to conflict, poverty and development within the sphere of consumer culture” (Daily, 2018, p. 53).

Author

• Kaylan Schwarz, University of Lethbridge