A Curriculum for Artisans

Issue #006, Autumn, 2020                                                                       ISSN: 2581- 9410 THE DILEMMA OF EDUCATION FOR ARTISANS The future of traditional craft depends on the children of artisan communities. But, in my view the present drive to send all children to school will ensure the death of all traditional skills – craft, farming, healing, folk arts and other specific knowledge systems that artisanal and village communities hold within. ‘Education,’ as exemplified in the system of which we are all part, and which is institutionalized, structured, instruction-oriented and expert-dependent will make extinct all other ways of knowing. The reason for this, very briefly, is that the process of ‘knowing’ in ‘non-codified knowledge societies’ (instinctual, biological, unselfconscious, relating to senses) is very different from the process of ‘knowing’ in ‘codified knowledge societies’ (memory, text and digital codification). The Place of Crafts in Traditional Societies Not so long ago craft was an integral part of Indian life. Every activity of life was supported by  artisan communities- from agriculture to day to day household activities to religious activities. Also from birth to death craft occupied a prominent position. That craft was very different from today’s craft, which has become mere income generation activity. The most important aspect of traditional life was the integration of living, learning and earning Threats to  crafts Today, craft faces several thr...