Past and New Approaches to Authenticity in Relation to Consumerism in Ceramics Higher Education

An ethnographic study at consumers’ homes shows that consumerism and the use of professional handmade pottery are meaningful emotional interactions that consumers construct through their identities. Hence, the value of the use of pottery and the close connection to consumerism needs to move to the fore in the curriculum of ceramics higher education. Based on two types of surveys (historical content analysis and contemporary ethnography analysis), this article shows that academic perceptions of craft are often based on outdated cultural assumptions and that the social role of local professional handmade pottery ware has not been addressed sufficiently by academia. Historically, built-in pedagogic conflicts that have to do with consumerism were overshadowed by ostensibly art/craft sensitivities. My analysis shows that ignoring or fighting the commercial aspect has harmed professional education. Findings from the ethnographic research support the call for shifting from submitting to art and design discourses to material culture studies to offer an exciting platform for students to explore maker-artifact-user interactions and relationships.