Craft, Transculturalism, and Women’s Empowerment in a Rural Brazilian Town

The English word craft originally encompassed the meanings of wisdom, resourcefulness, and power. Power refers to the ability to influence others or the course of events. Empowerment, a word often associated with the feminist movement, therefore refers to an individual or collective’s capacity to create change to improve their life.

This presentation draws on the biographical account of Mieko Ukeseki, a migrant Japanese woman, and her civic activities in the rural town of Cunha where she has lived and worked since the 1970s, as well as ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with various stakeholders. Once regarded as one of the poorest and most isolated regions of the São Paulo state, Cunha is now a popular destination known for its flourishing craft culture. Bridging Japanese understandings of craft as highly skilled creative work with a local yet waning pottery tradition, Ukeseki established two institutions that have since been instrumental in supporting and training local craftspeople, including youngsters and rural women, thus contributing to raise the value of craft and craftwork in the town.

Departing from the premise that people find fulfillment in realizing their potential and exercising their power, and that meaningful work fosters a just society, we highlight the role of craft in enabling women and other minorities to enhance their lives and the lives of others, not only at a personal level (by providing economic independence and fulfillment) but also at a societal level, particularly for rural communities facing gender and economic inequalities and population decline.