The Commercialized Crafts of Thailand

This volume brings together research into the process of commercialization of the folk crafts of Thailand: the conditions of its emergence, the parties involved in its development, the changes in the processes and organization of production which accompany it, the channels through which commercialized craft products are marketed, the nature of the audiences they reach, and the transformations in appearance and meaning which the products undergo as a result of their commercialization. The first part of the book explores the commercialization of hill tribe textiles, particularly those of the Hmong refugees from Laos. The second part presents a series of case studies of the various ways in which the products of lowland Thai "craft villages" became commercialized.