Fashioning Frontiers in Artisanal Trade:
Social Entrepreneurship and Textile Production in the Philippine Cordillera
Developments in the multi-platform character of contemporary Cordillera woven textiles of the northern Philippines have been ongoing since the early 1990s when the Philippine government promoted policies to ‘fast-track’ the development of the countryside. Subsequent regional and national government policies, especially those relevant to indigenous peoples’ (IP) knowledge and technology, continue to support communities to document and revitalize local cultural practices. Individual entrepreneurs and leaders of non-government organizations (NGO) with expertise in craft production have thus been encouraged to establish businesses that can take advantage of the rising global demand for local artisanal goods. In this light, a new group of Philippine social entrepreneurs have emerged who champion business transparency, quality production, ongoing producer–buyer relationships, and community welfare. Yet, in order to facilitate artisans’ work and social welfare options while responding to shifting consumer trends, these social entrepreneurs must adeptly manage the constraints of local production within the broader political and economic context of periodically variable state support.
This project investigates these frontier enterprises in Ifugao and Benguet provinces. I argue that to understand the nuanced dynamics of such contemporary textile production and trade means exploring how Philippine artisans and entrepreneurs operationalize work opportunities and negotiate market precarity given shifts in raw material availability, labour conditions, market demand and the material representation of local cultural identity. I suggest that these interdependent forces keep entrepreneurs and artisans in a reciprocal relationship of trust – but one that experiences periodic ruptures, such as when financial need sees artisans sell to one entrepreneur goods promised to another. To meet changing consumer tastes, artisans and entrepreneurs also refashion any concept of a static ‘authenticity’ by incorporating textile designs that speak both of modernity and local indigenous identity. The cultural turn privileging ethical consumption thus suggests these social entrepreneurial initiatives can resolve push-pull tensions to yield an industry for, and more responsive to, artisans’ and consumers’ needs.
See Published Journal Article:
2020 Fashioning Frontiers in Artisanal Trade: Social Entrepreneurship and Textile Production in the Philippine Cordillera. South East Asia Research 28(4): 413-431. (Special issue: The Philippine Cordillera. Cristina Juan, guest editor).
https://doi.org/10.1080/0967828X.2020.1834336
(under review) Other Journal Articles & Book Chapters on this topic:
1. “Gender and Advocacy: Assessing Marketing Alternatives for Contemporary Philippine Textiles.” In Gendered Threads of Globalization. Melia Belli, ed. Manchester, UK: University of Manchester Press.
2. “Marketing Contemporary Textiles in the Rural Northern Philippines” In Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of World Textiles. Volume 6: Trade and Industry.
3. “Assessing Digital Alternatives and Social Entrepreneurship in the Transnational Trade of Philippine Design.” In New Media & Society. Griet Steel, ed.
This project has been supported by:
1. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant (2015-2019), entitled: Alternative Transnational Economies (ATE): Exploring the Progressive Potential of Canada-Philippines Migrant Connections. PI - Dr. Philip Kelly (York U); Co-applicant: Dr. B. Lynne Milgram (OCADU).
2. OCADU Faculty Research (SEED) Grant (to March 31, 2022), entitled: Engaging Social Entrepreneurship Through Philippine-Canada Artisanal Trade.
Photo Captions: All photos by B. Lynne Milgram.
Figure 1 (Banner). A woman weaves on a backstrap loom in her home. Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines. 2015.
Figure 2. Women weave on backstrap looms in a workshop. Kiangan, Ifugao, Philippines. 2019.
Figure 3. Women sell their woven textiles in a town street market. Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines, 2019.
Figure 4. A man weaves on a floor loom in a workshop. Baguio, Benguet, Philippines. 2019.
Figure 5. Textiles displayed in a workshop showroom. Kiangan, Ifugao, Philippines. 2019.
Figure 6. Philippine entrepreneurs display northern Philippine textiles at City Hall, Toronto. 2016.