Lawrence University Lux Lawrence University Honors Projects 6-2-2016 Evolving Patterns: Conflicting Perceptions of Cultural Preservation and the State of Batik’s Cultural Inheritance Among Women Artisans in Guizhou, China Katherine B. Uram Lawrence University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://lux.lawrence.edu/luhp Part of the Chinese Studies Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Human Geography Commons, Other Anthropology Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Tourism Commons © Copyright is owned by the author of this document. Recommended Citation Uram, Katherine B., "Evolving Patterns: Conflicting Perceptions of Cultural Preservation and the State of Batik’s Cultural Inheritance Among Women Artisans in Guizhou, China" (2016). Lawrence University Honors Projects. 97. https://lux.lawrence.edu/luhp/97 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by Lux. It has been accepted for inclusion in Lawrence University Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of Lux. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Lawrence University Honors Project Evolving Patterns: Conflicting Perceptions of Cultural Preservation and the State of Batik’s Cultural Inheritance Among Women Artisans in Guizhou, China Katie Uram Lawrence University — June 2016 East Asian Studies & Anthropology ADVISOR Dr. Carla N. Daughtry May 9, 2016 Uram 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS So many people have shared their kindness, wisdom, passion and curiosity with me and in doing so, have helped me down the road that has ended with this thesis. Thank you to the people at Lawrence University, Ninghang Batik Company, Guizhou Normal University, and the Guizhou Forerunner College who offered their help and guidance. Thank you to Jamie and Lena for the companionship and adventures. To Xiaomei, Xiaodeng, Sarah, Professor Ren, and the amazing women batik artisans who welcomed me and shared a bit of their world with me, I say, “太感谢了.” My thanks to the Luce Foundation for their generosity for funding my research and allowing me to return to China in December. To all my friends at school but particularly Hope and Brighton for making me laugh when I needed it the most. Sincere thanks to Professor Peter Peregrine for the invaluable guidance in statistical analysis. Additionally, thank you to Professors Jane Yang, Jason Brozek, Brenda Jenike, Brigid Vance and Kuo-Ming Sung, as well as my entire December Sustainable China trip family. You have all made an enormous difference in my life. My utmost gratitude to Professor Carla Daughtry for your tireless support and good humor during these many months. Thank you to the Urams and Beatys for all your support and love and yarn. And above all, thank you to my mom, dad, and brother. I can only say, “More than . .” Uram 3 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 2 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 7 Batik: Tradition vs Innovation ............................................................................................ 9 Globalization Theory ............................................................................................ 11 Deterritorialization ................................................................................................ 12 Hybridity ............................................................................................................... 13 Cultural Inheritance Crisis .................................................................................... 15 Guizhou’s Ethnic Minorities ................................................................................. 18 Miao Ethnic Identity vs Guizhou Regional Identity ............................................. 19 Ethnotourism in Guizhou ...................................................................................... 21 Batik Fieldwork: Places, People, and Processes ............................................................... 22 Places .................................................................................................................... 23 Ninghang Batik Factory ............................................................................ 23 Guizhou Forerunner College (Forerunner) ............................................... 24 Colorful Guizhou 2015 Cultural and Creative Industries Fair (Expo) ..... 24 People .................................................................................................................... 25 Wang, Xiaomei: Journalist, Anthropologist, Mentor ................................ 25 Processes ............................................................................................................... 27 Ethnographic Research Methods .............................................................. 27 Site Observations ...................................................................................... 28 Interviews ................................................................................................. 29 Translation and Analysis........................................................................... 30 Fieldwork Challenges and Ethical Considerations ................................... 31 EVOLVING PATTERNS ................................................................................................. 33 Batik-making..................................................................................................................... 33 Traditional Designs ............................................................................................... 37 “Butterfly Mother” ................................................................................... 38 Dragon…................................................................................................... 39 Birds……. ................................................................................................. 39 Fish……... ................................................................................................. 40 Innovative Designs................................................................................................ 41 Uram 4 Survey Viewpoints: Innovation versus Tradition? ........................................................... 42 Result Discussion: ................................................................................................. 45 Perspectives....................................................................................................................... 48 Ninghang Batik Company..................................................................................... 48 Three Voices at Ninghang Batik Company .............................................. 52 Deterritorialization at Ninghang: .............................................................. 53 Cultural Preservation at Ninghang: ........................................................... 59 Hybridity at Ninghang .............................................................................. 64 Guizhou Forerunner College................................................................................. 68 Three Voices at Guizhou Forerunner College .......................................... 69 Deterritorialization at Forerunner ............................................................. 70 Hybridization at Forerunner: ..................................................................... 72 Cultural Preservation at Forerunner .......................................................... 76 Colorful Guizhou 2015 Cultural and Creative Industries Fair (Expo) ................. 78 Two Voices at the Expo ............................................................................ 80 Deterritorialization at Expo....................................................................... 83 Cultural Preservation at Expo: .................................................................. 86 Hybridity at the Expo: ............................................................................... 90 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 91 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 96 Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 99 Appendix 1: Who’s Who? Guide to Informants ................................................... 99 Appendix 2: Informed Consent Forms ............................................................... 100 Appendix 3: Sampling of Interview Questions ................................................... 104 Appendix 4: Survey ............................................................................................ 105 Appendix 5: Statistical Tables ............................................................................ 117 Table 1: Perceptions of Handicraft Development in relation to Number of Years Artisans have Lived in Urban Areas ........ 117 Table 2: Total Monthly Income Earned from Handicrafts in relation to Number of Years Lived in Urban Areas .............. 118 Table 3: Education Level