Haruka Ushiku: The Village of Basketry, Kartoniert / Broschiert

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Bolga baskets-- handwoven baskets originating in a rural region of northern Ghana-- are sold in markets across Europe, North America, and Japan. How did a locally made craft from an African village come to circulate globally as a commodity? Village of Basketry offers an in-depth ethnographic and economic analysis of the Bolga basket industry, tracing its transformation from a subsistence-based local craft into an export-oriented industry. Focusing on the lives of basket makers, traders, and intermediaries in the Bolgatanga region, the author examines how craft production changed-- adopting, adapting and accommodating shifting technologies, raw material supplies, and market structures. Beyond production and trade, the book explores how artisans negotiate the tensions between a monetized market economy and local values, ways of working, and modes of living. By examining everyday practices-- making, sourcing materials, selling, buying, and mediating transactions-- the study reveals how local society is reshaped through engaging with global markets. Grounded in detailed fieldwork, this volume illuminates the social processes through which " the world" becomes present in a rural African community, offering fresh insights into globalization, craft industries, and the lived experience of economic change.