Preservation of Cultural Heritage Embodied in Traditional Crafts in the Developing Countries. A Case Study of Pakistani Handicraft Industry

TLDR

Traditional crafts embody cultural heritage and reflect regional culture, yet literature on preserving them is scarce. This paper aims to identify and address challenges to traditional craft sustainability in developing countries and proposes policies to promote and preserve heritage. The authors examined the Pakistani handicraft industry to provide empirical evidence of the highlighted challenges. The study identified key challenges to preserving traditional craft heritage and highlighted policy suggestions supported by the Pakistani case study.

Abstract

Cultural heritage embodied in traditional crafts is an integral part of any nation which reflects the culture and tradition of a particular region. Although the importance of handicraft has been widely recognized, the literature regarding preservation of traditional craft is scarce. The present paper aimed to explore and identify issues faced by traditional craftsmanship in developing countries and to address those issues in order to contribute to the sustainability of traditional craft heritage and ensure continuous transmission of craft skills and knowledge from generation to generation. Our study identified several key issues which poses substantial challenges to the preservation of traditional craft heritage in developing countries. In order to add empirical evidence, we examined the case of Pakistani handicraft industry that provided further understanding of highlighted issues which traditional craft heritage face. We have suggested some policies to promote, develop and preserve the traditional craft heritage. The significance of these policy suggestions is underlined with the case study of Pakistan.