The Politics of Vietnamese Craft: American Diplomacy and Domestication

The Politics of Vietnamese Craft explores the US State Department's role in shaping Vietnamese craft production for consumption by middle class America, highlighting the influence of American business, commerce, department stores, the art world, and national museums. Jennifer Way examines how American uses of Vietnamese craft reflect the United States' Cold War anxiety about communism spreading throughout Southeast Asia and its efforts to absorb post-colonial South Vietnam into the Free World. Russel Wright, contracted by the US International Cooperation Administrations aid programs, played a significant role in managing the making of Vietnamese craft, bringing American ideas about Vietnamese history and culture to bear.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 02 May 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Politics of Vietnamese Craft reveals a previously unknown chapter in the history of American cultural diplomacy, highlighting the US State Department's role in promoting and shaping Vietnamese craft production for consumption by middle-class America. Jennifer Way delves into how American business, department stores, the art world, and national museums influenced the marketing and meanings of Vietnamese craft to advance American diplomatic and domestic interests. Conversely, American use of Vietnamese craft exemplifies the United States' efforts to integrate post-colonial South Vietnam into the Free World during the Cold War, driven by concerns about the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. Way specifically examines the involvement of renowned American designer Russel Wright, who was contracted by the US International Cooperation Administration's aid programs for South Vietnam to survey the craft industry and manage its production, distribution, and consumption abroad and domestically. Way demonstrates how Wright and his team incorporated American perspectives on Vietnamese history and culture into the management of Vietnamese craft production, shaping its cultural significance and appeal.

Weight: 556g
Dimension: 157 x 235 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350461031