Etsy's Handmade Blog
Call for Feminist Crafters: Crafting Resistance & Community
Story by pinupchick
Published on January 30, 2008 in Craftivism 		Photo by nicasaurusrex on flickr

Attention crafting feminists! Academic researcher pinupchick wants to hear your reflections and stories!

 Etsy's core mission is to help artists and crafters make a living from what they make. This may seem like an innocuous enough statement, but truth be told, the socio-political-cultural-economic state in which we live makes this a rather bold rallying cry. We want to make history's "way of doing things" undergo a change and Rob aka Rokali's recent announcement about Etsy's future explains how we seek to grow the company in contrast to many corporations. Etsy is part of a larger movement and we at Etsy want to learn more about the consciousness of feminist crafters in our midst (See Beth's post about Craft and Protest at the New School). And so we were excited to hear about pinupchick's call for participants in her research study. We hope that you choose to participate and make your opinions and experiences known!

(Fun fact: Etsy is about 90% women)

Crafting seems to be all the rage these days, and websites like Etsy are certainly helping the handmade movement gain momentum. Of course the popularity of crafting is completely dependent on all you talented sellers (and buyers with excellent taste!), and a little press here and there can't hurt either. But in addition to this, crafting is becoming a popular topic of study in the academic sphere.

Crafting and DIY movements are becoming crucial areas of research in the liberal arts, social sciences, and humanities. This is where I come in. Not only am I an avid Etsy fan and buyer, I'm also a graduate student at the University of Western Ontario. I'm currently pursuing my Master's degree in Media Studies, and my thesis is on crafting as a mechanism of resistance against corporate-fueled capitalism, focusing specifically on feminist crafters. For my study, I will be conducting e-mail interviews with crafters (and craft buyers) that make or buy goods with feminist messages, or craft with feminist beliefs at heart. I'm also interested in speaking with Etsy sellers who advertise or have been featured in BUST magazine (BUST has overt ties to third-wave feminism and often features goods from Etsy sellers).


I'm interested in studying crafting as a resistance mechanism: in the age of mass-production, corporate mega-profits and the resulting unethical production practices such as the use of sweatshop labor, crafting (and buying handmade goods) stands in opposition to the unethical labor and production practices of certain large corporations. Feminism is a natural extension of this, as historically textile work, sewing and needlecrafts have been located within the sphere of women. And now, crafters (some motivated by feminism), are reclaiming the once domestic significations of handicrafts as both liberating and pleasurable, and embracing this new domesticity as a form of feminist resistance and subversion.

Crafting as a form of feminist resistance is being examined by a few other scholars, but as far as I know, I am the only one looking specifically at Etsy and the crafts production and marketing cycle. Because craftwork provides an alternative to mass-production, I believe that buying and selling handmade goods is a politically subversive act that allows for a fair, equitable, and ethical form of capitalism. Ultimately, the handmade movement can help create positive social change.

But I can't conduct this study without you! If you are at all interested in participating in my study, please convo or email me. I will provide detailed information about the time requirements and will forward you the required documents. Together we can show academia how important crafting really is to the world!



Post your comments below and let us know what you think! Have you heard of other researchers working on this topic? Have you found any books that address these ideas?

Additional Resources

Craftivism.org

Craftster.org

GetCrafty.com

Bust.com

Tags academia, crafting resistance, crafts production, feminism, mass-production, politics, research, women
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11 comments     Login to add your own!

Jan. 30, 2008 at 11:19 p.m. operatic

As a feminist artist and crafter I'm totally into this. Convo on its way to you ... :)

Jan. 31, 2008 at 2:10 a.m. OpulentOddities

Awesome idea.

And I'm happy to see desktopdistractions in this article!

Jan. 31, 2008 at 8:17 a.m. SpankMe

can relate to this - all our designers are women - have one man - who can sometimes pass for a woman, please pass on your documents... thanks Loula

Jan. 31, 2008 at 10:13 a.m. CrowbirdieBeads

I would very much like to be a part of this, but I'm not sure if my beads can be counted as part of a movement! What a fantastic idea. I'm so happy to have found Etsy.

Jan. 31, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. blondechicken

Oh this is great research! I'm about to start my MBA program and my focus is on women and entrepreneurship!

Feb. 2, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. SylvieL

Perfect. I am selling handcrafted skin care and body products... the kind of things that are always sold to us with a pre-made definition of beauty. I am all with you about the need and the subversive effect of reclaiming a vision of beauty and pleasure that is our own. Thank you for your research effort.

Feb. 2, 2008 at 12:11 p.m. doseofcreativity

Great topic! My research for my MA in Women's Studies focused on visual art production and activism through the three waves of the feminist movement.

Have you read "The Subversive Stitch" by Rozika Parker?

Feb. 2, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. TaraTaraTara

Howdy,
Pass on the info to me and I'll help you. I attended the only all womans accreditated art college in America! It's Moore College of Art and Design located in center city Philadelphia. I'm from a blueberry patch in Ohio and going to Moore was fascinating and taught me all about being feminist at heart! The man's world is so intimidated by feminism and the issues are very deep and sometime tricky to understand. It needs to be studied and you are helping!

Feb. 2, 2008 at 10:41 p.m. itselemental

Wowsa! Sooo great to find this on etsy!! Your topic of research is timely, fascinating, and incredibly relevant...and validates the fact that what was once marginalized and considered the domain of our grandmothers (crafting...and the messages that are implied) can be empowering, visionary and revolutionary! Count me in!!

Feb. 6, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. castocreations

hmmmm.....I'm not sure if you want politically diverse ideas of feminism. You seem to have your definition set, whereas I see true feminism a bit differently. But if you are interested in different points of view on the subject I'd be happy to participate. :)

March 30, 2008 at 10 a.m. strawhousebooks

I was the second person in the U.S. to receive an MA in Feminist Anthropology. Florence Babb was on my thesis committee and studied female market practices in Nicaragua.

Here's a link to her work:

http://plaza.ufl.edu/fbabb/

I'd love to read what you come up with!

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