%0 Journal Article
%T The problem of mechanization: Craft, machines, and ¡®centering¡¯ in a Japanese Mingei pottery village
%A Alyssa Paredes
%J Journal of Material Culture
%@ 1460-3586
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/1359183517725366
%X This article provides a conceptual basis for ¡®centering¡¯ the relationship between artisanship and mechanization as one would in pottery making. Critical theory dichotomizes handwork from machine-work, emphasizing the division between non-alienated and alienated labor, authenticity and inauthenticity, and experiential resonance and capitalist fetishism. The author demonstrates the theoretical shortcomings and social repercussions of these dualisms through a study of Onta, a Japanese pottery village associated with the mingei folkcraft movement. Tied to ideals of cultural authenticity predicated on the refusal to mechanize, Onta¡¯s reputation came into question during the ¡®Problem of Mechanization¡¯ debate, when craftspeople announced a request to introduce modern machinery into their craft making patterns. Reflecting on the ways artisanal and industrial technologies have been imagined, this article poses the question: Do certain mechanical systems exert too much force to enter into centered relationships with humans
%K artisanship
%K craft
%K cultural property
%K Japan
%K machine
%K mingei
%K pottery
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1359183517725366