REBRANDING “MADE IN INDIA” THROUGH CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY – EXPLORING AND EXPANDING INDIAN PERSPECTIVES Thesis for Two year Master, 30 ECTS Textile Management Monica Boța-Moisin Raphael Schreiber Thesis Number: 2021.7.01 Title: Rebranding “Made in India” through Cultural Sustainability - Exploring and Expanding Indian Perspectives Year of publication: 2021 Authors: Monica Boța-Moisin and Raphael Schreiber Supervisor: Hanna Wittrock Abstract This exploratory study is a first attempt to translate the Indian cultural context from a socio- cultural, and legal perspective by identifying the values attributed to Indian textile craftsmanship by Indian textile and fashion stakeholders, and how their perspective is influenced by the global recognition and perception of Indian textile crafts and connotation of “Made in India”. At the same time the study investigates the meaning of “sustainability” in the Indian cultural context, in relation to textile craftsmanship, and how this relates to the Western concept of “sustainability”. Through field research in conjunction with a series of in- depth unstructured interviews, this study reveals that Cultural Sustainability is the dominating narrative in the Indian cultural context due to the prevalence of culturally embedded sustainability practices and the role of textile craftsmanship in sustaining livelihood, being a unique exercise of positioning Indian textile craftsmanship within a framework of cultural heritage as a valuable source of knowledge for sustainable practices in the fashion and textile industry. Unique about this study are the India-centric approach combined with the ethnicity of the subjects interviewed - who are, without exception, Indian nationals, whose work, voice and reputation are shaping India's contemporary textile craft-sustainability narrative (being referred to as the “Indian textiles and fashion elite”) and the framing of traditional craftsmanship from a legal perspective, introducing the notion of legal protection of traditional textile knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. Keywords: Cultural Sustainability, Indian cultural context, Indian textile craftsmanship, traditional cultural expressions, traditional textile knowledge, “Made in India”, sustainability by design, culturally embedded sustainability practices I Table of contents 1 Prologue ...................................................................................................................................1 2 Introduction .............................................................................................................................3 2.1 Background ............................................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Research problem ................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Research aim .......................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.1 Purpose .............................................................................................................................. 7 2.3.2 Research questions ............................................................................................................ 8 2.4 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................... 9 2.4.1 Main Theory: The Value Based Approach ........................................................................ 9 2.4.2 Subsidiary Theory: Cultural Relativism .......................................................................... 10 2.4.3 The Concept of Legal Protection of TK and TCEs ......................................................... 10 2.5 Limitations ........................................................................................................................... 11 2.6 Terminology ......................................................................................................................... 11 3 Methodology ..........................................................................................................................13 3.1 Research approach ............................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Research design and method ................................................................................................ 14 3.3 Sampling .............................................................................................................................. 14 3.4 Ethics.................................................................................................................................... 16 3.5 Sources ................................................................................................................................. 16 3.5.1 Primary sources ............................................................................................................... 16 3.5.2 Secondary sources ........................................................................................................... 18 3.6 Collection of empirical data ................................................................................................. 19 3.7 Transcription of empirical data ............................................................................................ 19 3.8 Coding and analysis ............................................................................................................. 20 3.9 Credibility of the study ........................................................................................................ 21 4 Literature review ....................................................................................................................22 4.1 Values associated with Indian textile craftsmanship: value attribution in the Indian cultural context 22 4.1.1 The role of textile craftsmanship in pre-colonial and post-colonial India ....................... 22 4.1.2 Indian textile craftsmanship as determinant of an “Indian fashion identity” ................... 24 4.1.3 Indian textile craftsmanship as a source of livelihood ..................................................... 25 4.1.4 The clash between “tradition” and “modernity” .............................................................. 26 4.2 Indian traditional textile craftsmanship as intangible asset .................................................. 27 4.2.1 Traditional textile craftsmanship as intangible asset from a legal perspective ................ 28 4.2.2 Nation branding - a form of valorization of cultural heritage as intangible asset ............ 29 4.3 The meaning and understanding of “sustainability” as a concept in the Indian cultural context 30 4.4 Research gap ........................................................................................................................ 32 5 Findings and Analysis............................................................................................................33 5.1 Values .................................................................................................................................. 33 5.1.1 Global recognition and perception of Indian textile(s) (crafts) and “Made in India” ...... 33 5.1.2 Internal recognition and perception of Indian textile(s) (craftsmanship) ........................ 34 5.1.3 The clash between “tradition” and “modernity” .............................................................. 35 5.1.4 Translation of the conflictual values between India and the West .................................. 36 5.1.5 The Diversity factor in India............................................................................................ 37 5.2 Heritage ................................................................................................................................ 38 5.2.1 Internal recognition of textile craftsmanship as intangible asset ..................................... 38 5.2.2 Artisanal pride and lack of self-esteem in connection with textile craftsmanship........... 39 5.2.3 Craft as a commodity and the loss of intangible cultural heritage ................................... 39 5.2.4 “Luxury” in the Indian textile context ............................................................................. 40 5.3 Sustainability ........................................................................................................................ 41 II 5.3.1 Culturally embedded sustainability practices .................................................................. 41 5.3.2 The difference between the Western and the Indian understanding of sustainability ..... 41 5.3.3 The Indian “sustainability” paradox ................................................................................ 42 5.3.4 Sustainability in the Indian sartorial context ................................................................... 42 5.3.5 New approaches for sustaining Indian craftsmanship ..................................................... 43 6 Discussion ..............................................................................................................................44 6.1 Value attribution, Value recognition, Value affirmation in relation to Indian textile craftsmanship .................................................................................................................................... 44 6.2 Valorization of