Crafting Power: The Situatedness of Artistic Handicraft and Civic Engagement in Contemporary Uganda

In contemporary Uganda, involved actors often associate artistic handicraft production with sustainable economic development and women empowerment. Others highlight its significance for the situated understandings of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, framing artistic handicrafts as indigenous art embedded into local knowledges. Anna-Lisa Klages examines artistic handicrafts through the lens of civic engagement. She reconstructs the negotiated meanings of handicrafts by showing how the actors and organizations involved shape its conceptualizations, which often renders the perspectives of artisans invisible. This study is an important read for those interested in international cooperation and power relations in the postcolonial era.