RAI Research Webinar
A VIRTUAL SEMINAR SERIES BY THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Thursday 4 February 2021 at 3-5pm (GMT)
The Pursuit of Pleasurable Work: craftwork in 21st century England
Prof Trevor Marchand (SOAS)
With an introduction by Professor Michael Herzfeld (Harvard)
This webinar will be held on Zoom, to register go here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscOygpzMvEtPvRWN5MePRMrLgQuM3sEgy
Against the backdrop of an alienating, technologizing and ever-accelerating world of mass production, Marchand’s seminar presentation will tell an intimate story: one about a community of fine woodworkers training at an historic London institution during the present “renaissance of craftsmanship.” Animated accounts of learning, achievement and challenges reveal the deep human desire to create with our hands, the persistent longing to find meaningful work, and the struggle to realise dreams. In exploring the nature of embodied skill, Marchand’s studies with woodworkers promote greater appreciation for the dexterity, creativity and intelligence that lie at the heart of craftwork.
Trevor Marchand’s seminar will be based on his forthcoming monograph, titled The Pursuit of Pleasurable Work: Craftwork in 21st Century England (2021, New York & Oxford: Berghahn)
