Book Proposal for the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)

Type: Edited volume

Title (provisional)

Craft Culture of Odisha:

A Study of Handicraft Heritage and Changing Dynamics of Craft-making

Rationale:

This proposed edited volume seeks to critically engage with the diverse and historically rich traditions of craft-making in India, with a particular focus on Odisha. Craft traditions in India are varied and illustrate the economy, history, culture, religious beliefs, politics, material culture, societal formations and creative faculties of a civilisation. The craftsmanship of many states of India reflects diverse cultural influences and has a significant narrative relating to its origins. For ages, crafts have served as an archive of culture and heritage in various communities in India. Every state of India narrates its tales of handicrafts. The wonderful artistry of handcrafted artefacts, the traditions woven in time, get eroded by automation and accuracy, which draw us towards the ‘sophistication’ of repetitive mass production in a capitalist society. This edited volume will attempt to retrace the cultural stitches and record artisans’ voices by listening to handcrafted tales.

The crafts of Odisha are embedded in a richly diverse cultural history incorporating elements from different sources: tribal, prehistoric, Jain, Buddhist, Shaivite and Vaishnavite. The intermingling of various traditions, communities, belief systems, and regional contexts has led to the emergence of an organic craft culture in Odisha. Silver filigree work of Cuttack, ‘bell metal craft’ of Nayagarh, ‘appliqué’ of Pipli, ‘dhokra craft’ at Sundergarh, ‘palm leaf engraving and painting’ of Ganjam, ‘stone carving’ of Konark, ‘patachitras’ of Raghurajpur, Puri and Paralekhermundi, Ganjam, ‘comb making’ by the Santhali tribe of Kendujhar, ‘jhotti painting’ by the Saura tribe of Koraput, the ‘ikat’ of Sambalpur, the ‘silk weaving’ of Brahmapur, ‘kotpad saris’ of Koraput, ‘Dongria shawl’ of Kalahandi, are a few examples from the rich tapestry of handicrafts of Odisha. Through tracing the resonant echoes of craft traditions, this volume will explore the handicraft heritage of Odisha. The weaving stories of handloom, the sound of bell metal craft, the legacy of filigree, and the crafted folk narratives in patachitra are all traditions woven in time. We often lament the loss of inherited values, the gap in intergenerational craft-making skills, and often reduce craft to ‘local’, ‘rural’ or ‘domestic showpieces’ in an industrial, urban space. Why is there a significant lack of craft history in academic contexts, despite widespread discourses on the loss, neglect, and challenges faced by indigenous craftspersons? Why do mainstream conversations on crafts perpetuate stereotypes of aid and display a condescending attitude towards craftspeople?

Handicrafts encapsulate complex intersections of history, religion, politics, and material practices that have sustained regional identities across centuries. Yet, in contemporary neoliberal frameworks, these traditions are increasingly marginalised, commodified, or romanticised, often without serious engagement with their epistemic depth, historical trajectories, or sociopolitical entanglements. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the volume will interrogate the layered semiotics of craftsmanship and its embedment in the everyday life of communities. It will critically explore why, despite growing policy-level discussions on craft preservation and sustainability, there remains a striking absence of rigorous academic inquiry into the socio-political and aesthetic dimensions of craft traditions. The marginalisation of crafts in the formal curriculum and the relegation of artisans to objects of aid or nostalgia underscore the urgency of such a project.

This edited volume, which is part of a Research Project under the Vision Viksit Bharat@2047 funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), will attempt to deal with this elephant in the classrooms. If the sustainability and viability of the crafts are essential, then it is probably time to pause and rethink the arts and crafts discipline of Odisha/India and think about the need for ‘contact’ between academics and practitioners. This proposed edited volume will also explore the possibility of economic empowerment of indigenous communities and show how the careful study of the micro can lead to economic empowerment of the artisans, which will ensure the shaping of a Viksit Bharat.

Contributors will include scholars, craftspeople, cultural theorists, and heritage practitioners who will trace genealogies of Odisha’s craft practices, investigate contemporary challenges facing artisans, and propose frameworks for rethinking craft pedagogy, cultural policy, and community-based models of empowerment. This volume will not only document and analyse the craft heritage of Odisha but also attempt to critically reframe how crafts are positioned within the academic, cultural, and political discourse in India today. It seeks to move beyond romanticisation and preservationist rhetoric to articulate a new ethics of engagement—one that recognises artisans as epistemic agents and craft as a mode of resilience, resistance, and creativity in the making of a truly Viksit Bharat.

Keywords: Craft traditions, Handicrafts, artisan, Odisha, sustainability, Viksit Bharat,

Suggested Sub-topics:

• Mapping the Craft Culture of Odisha
• Politics of craftmaking
• Rural roots to Global reach – handicrafts of Odisha
• Weaving traditions of Odisha
• Crafting Narrative of Odisha
• Metal culture of Odisha
• Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Artistic Traditions
• Eco artistry and sustainability in crafts of Odisha
• Oral History of Craft
• Myths and Motifs of handicraft
• Crafts and other Arts
• Crafts in Modern Art Practices
• Contemporising Craft Culture
• Craft and Gender
• Craft and Caste
• Crafted Memories and Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer
• Significance of Craft in Political Economy
• Role of MSME and Handicrafts Development Corporation
• Scientific Innovations in materials and minerals used in handicrafts

Broad Area:

Craft culture, Arts and Aesthetics, Material Culture, Heritage Studies

Referencing Style:

• Referencing in APA style (Citation and Source of Figures, Tables, Images, etc.)
• American English
• The body of the document should use Times New Roman font 12, 1.5 line spacing 
• Headings and Subheadings: Times New Roman, size 14 (Bold), include numbering like "Chapter" (Heading 1.1, Subheading 1.1.1).
• Academic writing style.

Editors:

Dr. Rindon Kundu
Prof. Jatindra Kumar Nayak
Tarak Nath Das
Trinath Majumder

Timeline:

Submit your abstract (max. 300 words and 5 keywords) to ssctis@srisriuniversity.edu.in

The last date to submit the abstract is 15th June 2025.

We will notify you of the abstract selection by June 20th, 2025.

Full paper submission will be by 31st July 2025.

Review of the full paper will be intimated by 15th August 2025.