Between 1990 and today, the small town of Bàu Trúc just south of Vietnam’s central highlands, has experienced drastic economic growth from increased sales of ceramic art. Based on four months of ethnographic research, interviews conducted from the US, my study revisited how different notions ‘authenticity’ shape how art is produced and its interpretation. Examining the various meanings of ‘authentic’ for the producer and consumer, this study argues that the concept ‘authenticity’ fosters development on local, national and international scales. Engaging the discourses that problematize notions of authenticity, my paper argued that ‘authenticity’ gives otherwise disadvantaged producers the ability to influence the price of their goods, the interpretation of their art and the development of their culture within Vietnam and the globe.
Posted by Tim Robinson '14 My inspiration for this study stems almost entirely from Sa Kaya, cited above by her Vietnamese name, Lo Minh Hoang Tran. Fearing the dissipation of the Champa minority’s traditions and culture, Sa Kaya and myself spent many nights discussing the myriad of factors contributing to the loss of the Champa language and religion among this minority’s youth. In the context of the Vietnamese system of education, contemporary increases in mobility and modern entities like Facebook and cheap cell phones, we quickly realized the vast complexity of the issue. Consequently, my study focused on just one contributing aspect: the recent boom of ceramic art production and its impact on tourists and the preservation of Champa culture.
Between 1990 and today, the small town of Bàu Trúc just south of Vietnam’s central highlands, has experienced drastic economic growth from increased sales of ceramic art. Based on four months of ethnographic research, interviews conducted from the US, my study revisited how different notions ‘authenticity’ shape how art is produced and its interpretation. Examining the various meanings of ‘authentic’ for the producer and consumer, this study argues that the concept ‘authenticity’ fosters development on local, national and international scales. Engaging the discourses that problematize notions of authenticity, my paper argued that ‘authenticity’ gives otherwise disadvantaged producers the ability to influence the price of their goods, the interpretation of their art and the development of their culture within Vietnam and the globe. Posted by William Makepeace '14 In the spring of 2013, I embarked on a School for International Training (SIT) study abroad journey to India, Senegal, and Argentina. It was during the 5 week time period spent in Delhi that I fell in love with India and decided to commit to spending the following summer working at a Mumbai-based non-governmental organization (NGO). When I arrived in early June, it was my first time living by myself for an extended amount of time, and it is no overstatement that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Luckily, despite being a carefree 20-year old traveler with little sorted out at the time, I was fortunate enough to meet people that helped me forge an incredible summer that would go on to become the basis of my senior Anthropology capstone project. My ethnographic study of NGO relations in India is based on my experiences and observations working at Dasra, a Venture Philanthropy NGO that conducts research, capacity building, and creates networks for grassroots NGOs and philanthropists. My work in the Portfolio and Business Partnership departments put me in contact with many NGOs working for education, street children, and anti-sex trafficking. I conducted over 20 online initial assessments and visited 6 NGOs for more in-depth information. I kept wondering, however, why there are so many NGOs (approximately 3 million in India) with similar altruistic goals, yet they don’t collaborate to tackle those problems on a large scale. My study examines the internal and external pressures that prevent collaboration between NGOs and the various reasons for the existence of a fragmented the social sector. Ultimately, my research suggests that that donor competition, intra-organization social dynamics, and external structural pressures fragment horizontal networks (NGO-NGO) and indicate that bottom-up NGO development continues to be guided by ‘top-down’ agendas and forces. Below are some photographs that illustrate my summer in Mumbai. |
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