Handicrafts-enacted: Emplacing non-human agency in ethnic tourism

Handicrafts play an important role within the panorama of ethnic tourism. In this tourismscape, the interactions between multiple actors are inevitable and the role(s) of human actor(s) (e.g. communities, tourists) have received considerable research attention. This article aims to add non-human agency of handicrafts and other non-human actors into the relationality of ethnic tourism. A qualitative case study approach based on Actor-Network Theory (ANT) shows that handicrafts themselves can ‘act’, thus fulfilling social actions and reflecting multiple and complex phenomena. Findings highlight dynamics in handicrafts introducing five versions – traditional, handcrafted, machine-made, touristic, and original. Within those enactments, handicrafts bring together various human and other non-human actors through different relational networks – weaving, selling, promotion and protection. Such associations not only reflect the capacity of handicrafts to establish cooperation between individuals(human), and between individuals(human) and institutions(non-human), but also place different actors in problematic relations depending on how their views and interests diverge. This raised several critical concerns regarding the sustainability of handicrafts-based ethnic tourism. Overall, the study extends understanding of the role of non-human actors in ethnic-cultural tourism, highlighting how non-human (in this case handicrafts) agency can be considered central in relational perspectives of tourism.