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.

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.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (289 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, c2003.

Language Note:

English

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:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CHAPTER ONE Introduction

CHAPTER TWO History of Oaxacan Wood Carving (1940–1985)

CHAPTER THREE Contemporary Wood Carving

CHAPTER FOUR Wood-Carving Communities

CHAPTER FIVE Economic Strategies

CHAPTER SIX Making Wood Carvings

CHAPTER SEVEN Global Markets and Local Work Organization

CHAPTER EIGHT Specializations

CHAPTER NINE How Artisans Attain Success

CHAPTER TEN Popular Journalism, Artistic Styles, and Economic Success

CHAPTER ELEVEN Sales in Oaxaca

CHAPTER TWELVE Sales in the United States

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Conclusion

EPILOGUE

REFERENCES CITED

INDEX

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

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

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-292-79775-3

OCLC:

648315104