The contemporary geographies of craft‐based manufacturing

Abstract

AbstractThis paper reviews the literature on craft production to explore the ways in which the normative landscape of craft is affecting the contemporary geographies of craft‐based manufacturing. Craft forms of production have enjoyed a revival in recent decades in what is now called the “third‐wave” craft movement. In this paper, I consider the origins and characteristics of third‐wave craft as well as its historical precedents. I highlight 3 distinct geographies associated with contemporary craft‐based manufacturing, including a fusion of industrial and cultural production in industrial workspaces, a relocalization of small‐scale industrial production in advanced economies, and a tendency towards spatial agglomeration in both urban and rural areas. Drawing on the case of the American craft‐brewing sector, I offer a picture of these distinct geographies in a representative manufacturing industry and highlight the need to consider the ways in which craft production and articulations of its values manifest differently in different industries. Finally, I conclude by offering reflections on the landscape of craft‐based manufacturing and potential avenues for future geographical engagements with craft production.