4 .0 I n t r o d u c t i o n ______________________________________________________________
This chapter presents crafts in Thailand and identifies a specific region for in-depth study. It
begins by clarifying the meaning of “craft” and “handicraft” in the Thai context (Section 4.1).
This is followed by a discussion of the development of handicraft production from the 19th
century to the present, including various contextual factors that impact on handicraft
production (Section 4.2). Next, some research problems are identified (Section 4.3), and a
rationale is presented for northern Thailand as the region for in-depth study (Section 4.4). An
investigation into the handicrafts of northern Thailand is reported (Section 4.5), including a
classification of crafts (Section 4.5.1) and challenges and opportunities for design (Section
4.5.2). Finally, the key findings are summarised (Section 4.6).
Some of the contents o f this chapter were published in conference proceedings in 2012 and
2013 (see below), but have been modified for inclusion in this chapter.
Table 4.1 List of publications
Citation of the conference papers
Chapter sections
4.3 4.4 4.5
Chudasri, D., Walker, S. and Evans, M. (2013) "Directions for design contributions to the sustainable development of the handicrafts sector in northern Thailand". In:
Consilience and Innovation in Design: Proceedings and Program, The 5th IASDR 2013 Tokyo, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Vol.2, pp.585-596.
V
V
Chudasri, D., Walker, S. and Evans, M. (2012) “An overview of the issues facing the craft industry and the potential for design: with a case study in upper northern Thailand”. In: Design Research Society 2012: Bangkok, Conference Proceedings, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Vol.1, pp.314-326.
4.1 Th e m e a n in g o f “c r a f t” a n d “h a n d ic r a f t” int h e Th a i c o n t e x t
Having reviewed a range of academic literature available in English, the author finds that the
term “craft” is often used as a subject for critical discourse. Yet in Thailand the term
“handicraft” is comm only used. The author therefore raises the question of whether these
terms are the same and which term should be used to fit the context and convey clear
meaning?
Stefan Muthesius (1998, p .120), in his article “Handwerk/Kunsthandwerk” in "The Craft
Reader” edited by Glenn Adamson (2010), suggests an approach to understanding “the
complexities of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Western crafts and design” by examining
the basic term inology used in different languages and reflecting on it - rather than simply
accepting “English translations of foreign words”. Muthesius (1998, p .121) points out, for
example, that at the general level English and German are “derivative” and “simply the same
language”; likewise simply translating literally, a German word such as Handwerk as
“handiwork” or “hand w ork” could be misleading and far from the true meaning and common
usage.
It is therefore necessary to check carefully the meaning of handicraft and craft in the Thai
context and to explain these in English to ensure that the same issue/subject is being
discussed across different cultural contexts. A number of differing terms are used across
various forms of communication, e.g. verbal discussions, dictionaries, magazines, academic
literature and hand-outs - and among various groups of people. Term s relating to craft can be
classified into main groups as follows:
■ Existing terms;
■ Emerging terms.
4.1.1 Existing term s in relation to craft
For the first round, a search for existing term s in Thai in relation to craft was conducted in
dictionaries. Basically, craft terms stem from the words: “hand” (hattha or m eu) and "work or
action" (ngan or kam /kankratam ). In Thai, people usually refer to thaksa (rmur) or fimeu (Hfit) to
mean “skill”, which is translated as “craft” in English. On the other hand, hatthakham (H*nrmu)
and ngan fim eu o™Tliit» are equivalent to “handicraft”, and these mean the domain of skilful
work for intricate objects.
The table below summarises craft terms used in Thai along with their meanings, followed by
equivalent English terms.
Table 4.2 C ra ft te rm s used in Thai
(Source: Longdo Diet., 2003; The Royal Institute, 2007)
Thai w o rd M eaning E n glish s y n o n y m
Thaksa
(wnv^)
Ability to be a sensible recipient of developm ent (Longdo Diet., 2003)
Skill, talent, ability, capability, proficiency, craft (Longdo Diet., 2003)
Fimeu
(fliJO)
Capable of using your hands to m ake things skilfully (Longdo Diet., 2003)
Skill, manual skill, ability, capability, craftsmanship, proficiency, craft (Longdo Diet., 2003)
Ngan Fimeu
(•jiufliJo)
Intricate work done by hand that requires great skill (Longdo-Dict., 2003)
Craft, handiwork (Longdo Diet., 2003); handwork, manual skill, workmanship, dexterity, manufacture, art (Longdo- Dict., 2003)
Hatthakam
(mi firm jj)
W ork done by hand for functional use (The Royal Institute, 2007) - not by m achine (Longdo-Dict., 2003).
Handicraft (Longdo Diet., 2003);
For the second round, a search for other terms in relation to craft was conducted in other
sources, e.g. academ ic literature, government reports, magazines and websites. Other terms
related to craft were found as follows:
■ Art and craft;1
■ Handicrafts industry, handicrafts sector;
■ Handicraft/craft community;
■ Handicraft/craft enterprise;
■ Industrial design
(e.g. a course at King M ongkut’s Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang (KMITL));
■ Industrial crafts and design
(e.g. a course at Tham masat University, Lampang Campus);
1 Art and craft are closely associated and are often combined to denote a discipline, reflecting the use of term: sinlapahatthakam (flnilmnrmji).
■ Handmade products;
■ Com m ercial crafts, com m ercialized crafts.
In the context of Thailand, sometimes English is also used in phrases for concepts derived
from sources available in English. For example, in Creative Thailand m agazine (Thailand
Creative and Design Center (TCDC), 2011), in the English sentence “craft is part of the
creative process” (quoted from Gavin Bryars), “craft" is translated as thaksa (VTnws), which
means “skill” (TCDC, 2011, p.3). The term “skill” is usually used in association with the terms
craftsmanship, craftsperson or skilled worker(s), as in the headline “SKILLS: Passing Down
the DNA of Crafts M asters” (TCDC, 2011, cover page). In reference to objects made by hand,
Thai usually uses the term “handicrafts” (ngan fim eu/hatthakam ) unflfio/wmfmij) instead of
“crafts”.
F ig u re 4.1 E xam ple o f th e a p p lic a tio n o f a c ra ft-re la te d w o rd (Source: Creative Thailand m agazine by TCDC, 2011)