Crafting tradition : the making and marketing of Oaxacan wood carvings / Michael Chibnik.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chibnik, Michael, 1946-

Series:

Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indian wood-carving--Mexico--Oaxaca Valley.

Indian wood-carving.

Indian business enterprises--Mexico--Oaxaca Valley.

Indian business enterprises.

Culture and tourism--Mexico--Oaxaca Valley.

Culture and tourism.

Folk art--Mexico--Oaxaca Valley.

Folk art.

Marketing--Mexico--Oaxaca Valley.

Marketing.

Oaxaca Valley (Mexico)--Social conditions.

Oaxaca Valley (Mexico).

Oaxaca Valley (Mexico)--Economic conditions.

Mexico--Oaxaca Valley.

Physical Description:

xix, 266 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2003.

Summary:

Since the Mid-1980S, whimsical, brightly colored wood carvings from the Mexican state of Oaxaca have found their way into gift shops and private homes across the United States and Europe, as Western consumers seek to connect with the authenticity and tradition represented by indigenous folk arts. Ironically, however, the Oaxacan wood carvings are not a traditional folk art. Invented in the mid-twentieth century by non-Indian Mexican artisans for the tourist market, their appeal flows as much from intercultural miscommunication as from their intrinsic artistic merit. In this beautifully illustrated book, Michael Chibnik offers the first in-depth look at the international trade in Oaxacan wood carvings, including their history, production, marketing, and cultural representations. Drawing on interviews he conducted in the carving communities and among wholesalers, retailers, and consumers, he follows the entire production and consumption cycle, from the harvesting of copal wood to the final purchase of the finished piece. Along the way, he describes how and why this "invented tradition" has been promoted as a "Zapotec Indian" craft and explores its similarities with other local crafts with longer histories. He also fully discusses the effects on local communities of participating in the global market, concluding that the trade in Oaxacan wood carvings is an almost paradigmatic case study of globalization.

Contents:

Chapter 2 History of Oaxacan Wood Carving (1940-1985) 19

Chapter 3 Contemporary Wood Carving 36

Chapter 4 Wood-Carving Communities 60

Chapter 5 Economic Strategies 80

Chapter 6 Making Wood Carvings 94

Chapter 7 Global Markets and Local Work Organization 112

Chapter 8 Specializations 124

Chapter 9 How Artisans Attain Success 147

Chapter 10 Popular Journalism, Artistic Styles, and Economic Success 174

Chapter 11 Sales in Oaxaca 184

Chapter 12 Sales in the United States 206.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-257) and index.

ISBN:

0292712472

0292712480

OCLC:

50866895