Role of Traditional Crafts in Sustainable Development and Building Community Resilience: Case Stories from India

Concepts of sustainability build on slow fashion, local production, recycling, and reuse. These principles are quite inherent in traditional crafts. The paper shares examples of how traditional crafts can support the transition into a more sustainable and resilient way of living. It shares how a quilting tradition called Kantha has been developed, refined, and transmitted to rehabilitate women refugees and has over a span of a few decades led to women’s empowerment and the promotion of sustainable fashion. It also examines the potential of developing a traditional craft-based green economy for fostering inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development. Natural fiber-based crafts for making mats and basketry based on locally sourced raw materials reflect the long-term relationships between people and their environments. The paper shares how strategies for safeguarding a fine mat weaving tradition based on a kind of water reed called Madurkathi contributed to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).