Artisans and Cooperatives

Artisans in impoverished areas often lack entrepreneurial skills, even while they produce items that are valued by Western consumers. In their book, Grimes and Milgrim have selected essays to convey the obstacles and successes of fair trade organizations (and other groups) in bringing crafts to world markets, and thereby improving the lives of the craftspeople. Eight groups are described, some trying to preserve traditional crafts, others seeking to produce what will sell. An introduction and a postscript by June Nash provide historical and political context. As is to be expected in a collection, the quality of the writing is uneven. The book does, however, provide a good introduction to native crafts groups and the issues of world trade.