Inspired by the British designer, craftsman, poet, and socialist William Morris (1834–1898), the Arts and Crafts Movement was a varied and ambitious set of values and practices reacting against mid-nineteenth-century industrialization, capitalism, and imperialism. It asserted the social value of making, challenged the hierarchy of fine and decorative arts, defended the livelihoods of artisans, and promoted the preservation of skilled knowledge. But the ambition, pugnacity, and passion of the Arts and Crafts was not limited to a single place or time. Although Arts and Crafts is often regarded as quintessentially British, its setting within the context of empire cannot be ignored, nor can its vexed relation to the very systems of globalizing power that were its central concerns. Moreover, Morris had a surprising influence across the world, including on anti-colonial and nationalist movements who were variously inspired by his ideas about the validation of the craftsman and hand work, the value of tradition and vernaculars, his call for art for all people, and critiques of contemporary Western industrialism and imperialism. At the same time, craft revival projects were also used by colonial officials to uphold hierarchies and divisions. What did practitioners and theorists embrace and what did they critique? How did the principles of Arts and Crafts change over time and in different contexts? What were theorists and activists looking for when they asked "Where is our William Morris?" and how did that figure become mobilized in a quest for legitimation in the global frame?

Furthermore, since many craft revivals came out of similar circumstances such as uneven industrialization or were catalyzed in response to colonization, how did "Arts and Crafts" function as a category of contestation and valuation spanning colonial institutions and individual settlers, and local and Indigenous communities? We will consider the particular manifestations of craft revivals around the world and their influence on the translation, appropriation, and reinterpretation of Arts and Crafts ideals in global and transnational contexts with an emphasis on colonialism, nationalism, and gender. This enlargement of the concept of Arts and Crafts also has a critical aspect in that it expands the ways we understand “Arts and Crafts” to encompass a variety of forms of craft revival and persistence, whether directly inspired by William Morris or not. The Arts and Crafts had an exceptional influence on craft revival in a wide range of cases: sometimes for anti-colonial purposes, sometimes to mobilize the language of craft as part of colonial policy. This project will emphasize how we might understand the legacy of Arts and Crafts not solely as a diffusion from center to periphery, while also perceiving how it was received and mobilized by different groups.

Our contention is that critical reflection on craft pasts might help inform craft futures amid emergent discourses of decoloniality, anti-capitalism, and sustainability, many of which revive themes and questions that were much debated by thinkers and practitioners in the Arts and Crafts nearly a century ago.