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Empowerment or Disempowerment: The (Dis)empowering Processes and Outcomes of Co-Designing with Rural Craftspeople

Author

Listed:
  • Baosheng Wang

    (School of Design, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Tie Ji

    (School of Design, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Renke He

    (School of Design, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

Abstract

Despite the significance of human development for sustainability, the actual effects of craft-design collaboration on craftspeople have scarcely been discussed. Moreover, despite its wide usage, the meaning of empowerment in design discourse is unclear and its discussions are barely linked to mature ones in other disciplines. In addition, disempowerment has been mentioned far less often than empowerment. From the perspective of empowerment, this article examines the elements in the processes of craft-design collaborations that can exert positive or negative influence on craftspeople, and analyzes both the empowering and disempowering effects on them as co-design outcomes . This research builds on two empirical cases based on Tiao Hua, a cross-stitching handwork. We identify five stages of co-design processes for empowerment analysis. The data was mainly collected from the designers (D1–D16) and craftswomen (C1–C8) through observations, interviews, and reflective sessions. We sorted and codified the qualitative data as sticky note statements. Higher-level themes and sub-themes emerged from the codified statements through affinity analysis. Finally, we presented an analytical framework of craftspeople (dis)empowerment process and outcome . The (dis)empowering process covers four dimensions: organization , instrumentation , participation , and interaction , while the outcome involves emotional , cognitive , behavioral , and relational components. We contend craftspeople (dis)empowerment should be discussed dialectically in four aspects.

Suggested Citation

  • Baosheng Wang & Tie Ji & Renke He, 2023. "Empowerment or Disempowerment: The (Dis)empowering Processes and Outcomes of Co-Designing with Rural Craftspeople," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-28, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:4468-:d:1085877
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Avelino, Flor & Wittmayer, Julia M. & Pel, Bonno & Weaver, Paul & Dumitru, Adina & Haxeltine, Alex & Kemp, René & Jørgensen, Michael S. & Bauler, Tom & Ruijsink, Saskia & O'Riordan, Tim, 2019. "Transformative social innovation and (dis)empowerment," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 195-206.
    2. Xiaofang Zhan & Stuart Walker, 2018. "Value Direction: Moving Crafts toward Sustainability in the Yangtze River Delta, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-20, April.
    3. Flor Avelino & Adina Dumitru & Carla Cipolla & Iris Kunze & Julia Wittmayer, 2020. "Translocal empowerment in transformative social innovation networks," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(5), pages 955-977, July.
    4. Maria Rabadjieva & Anna Butzin, 2020. "Emergence and diffusion of social innovation through practice fields," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(5), pages 925-940, July.
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