Contemporary Craft Arts: From Identity Crisis to Conceptual Identity (With an Emphasis on Howard Becker's Sociology of Art and Craft Theory)

Craft (handicrafts), which in the past constituted a synthesis of skill, taste, and social function, faced a fundamental crisis and a limitation of efficacy in the face of the Industrial Revolution. Adopting an analytical-comparative approach, this article traces the evolution of craft from early reactions (such as the Arts and Crafts Movement) to their contemporary configurations (studio craft and craftivism). Drawing upon Howard Becker's sociological framework (particularly the concept of 'craft' and its transition to 'art'), as well as theoretical approaches in contemporary craft studies (such as material agency, embodied skill, and social activism), this paper examines the semi-autonomous and interstitial identity of craft arts within the contemporary art system. In doing so, while emphasizing that in the Iranian artistic-craft tradition, artistic intention and execution have never been separated, and that the interweaving of faith, ethics, and skill with artisanal products has provided a distinct, indigenous ground for redefining the identity of contemporary craft, this article—by applying the aforementioned theoretical foundations to the situation of Iranian craft, particularly ceramics—demonstrates how this field, while maintaining its connection to tradition, has on the one hand entered the realm of visual/conceptual arts, and on the other hand, by preserving its material and process-oriented nature, has transformed into a tool for critical expression and social action (craftivism).