Book review: the organization of craft work: identities, meanings, and materiality (Routledge Studies in Management, Organizations and Society)

Pecis, Lara 2019. Book review: the organization of craft work: identities, meanings, and materiality (Routledge Studies in Management, Organizations and Society). Organization Studies 40 (11) , pp. 1771-1774. 10.1177/0170840619842723

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Abstract

Craft is a labour of love underpinned by an ethos of community, care, family and economic alternatives. This is a true but incomplete description of craft work. After reading the volume, The Organization of Craft Work: Identities, Meanings, and Materiality, edited by Bell, Mangia, Taylor and Toraldo, the rose-coloured picture of the artisanal laboratory, underpinned by notes of cinnamon scents and woollen fabrics, that I had constructed in my mind (almost) disappeared. This is not a warning against reading this book. On the contrary, the volume wrapped me up in an Orwellian aesthetic enthusiasm. A remarkable feature of the book is that it stirs one’s fascination and interest because of the topics discussed – from inebriating brews and wines to tasteful sushi – and also for its choice of rhythm: undulating between the nostalgia of a glorious past and utopias of a future that might not come to be. This rhythm shows an outward thinking that can reach organization studies scholars beyond the boundaries of craft. The rosy image of the workshop fades in light of the force of the political project that the book encapsulates, pushing its readers towards reimagining the kind of society they might strive towards.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	0170-8406
Last Modified:	27 Jun 2023 14:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/159453

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