Ceramics and Globalization: Staffordshire Ceramics, Made in China

(Paperback)

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Neil Ewins' study of the Staffordshire potteries in a period of great global change traces how ceramics production has been affected by globalisation in both familiar and unexpected ways. Although many manufacturers such as Wedgwood initially moved production to cheaper labour markets in East Asia, others remained in or returned to England once it became clear that outsourcing manufacturing was affecting the brand value and customer perception of their products. Neil Ewins explores the complex behaviour of the UK ceramics industry, using a combination of evidence from the press, trade journals, ceramic objects, and primary interview evidence of manufacturers, retailers and a ceramic designer. Ewins suggests that, although the surface designs of UK ceramics invariably reflect diverse cultural and stylistic influences, a notion of authenticity often still resides in the place and context in which the ceramic product was originally made. Overall, the book argues that UK ceramics remain culturally complex because of issues of supply and demand, and ties to heritage, imagined or otherwise. Within a context of globalization, the book highlights compelling issues which have huge ramifications on UK manufacturing futures.

Reviews

Ceramics and Globalization is a thought-provoking book which provides the reader with a fascinating insight into the transformation of the UK ceramic industry between 1990-2010 through asking the thorny question What does it mean to be Made in England * Juliette MacDonald, Head of Design at the University of Edinburgh, UK *
This is a fascinating book that unfolds many of the complexities of globalization related to the the UK ceramics industry and its perceived decline. Ewins reveals some surprising discoveries from a breadth of perspectives and sheds light on the many interpretations of value, particularly with regard to the notion of provenance. * Sam Chung, Associate Professor of Ceramics at Arizona State University, USA *
Good. Cheap. Fast. You cannot have all three! Ewinss research emphasizes the rapid deconstruction and sporadic reconstruction of the ceramics industry in the UK. This book reaffirms the invaluable human hand and how it is both a national and global treasure. * Kelcy Chase Folsom, Turner Teaching Fellow at New York State College of Ceramics, USA *
[Th]e first of its kind and a key reference in future studies of ceramics manufacturing and globalization. The books strength resonates through the rich articulation of a dynamic, responsive industry, emerging from Ewins interweaving of information sources that connect global economic and social conditions driving market trends and perceived shifts in consumer taste. * Journal of Modern Craft *

Author Bio

Neil Ewins is Senior Lecturer in Design History and Theory at the University of Sunderland, UK. He has contributed articles to a number of edited volumes.