Advertising Oaxacan woodcarvings

Abstract

Most analyses of the appeal of ethnic and tourist art emphasize buyers' romantic and nostalgic desires to connect with lost, simpler worlds through their purchase of handmade artifacts. Anthropologists discussing the marketing of these handicrafts therefore ordinarily focus on how ethnic and tourist art works and their makers are represented by merchants attempting to convey the "authenticity" of their products. This paper examines how brightly-painted wood carvings from the Mexican state of Oaxaca are advertised on the internet, a medium that encourages the use of visual images and detailed text. The origins of the trade in Oaxacan wood carvings can be traced to the activities of merchants and entrepreneurial artisans in the mid-twentieth century. Although many carvers had grandparents who spoke an indigenous language, the artisans are almost all monolingual in Spanish and almost never describe themselves as "Indians" (indigenas). In their attempts to convince potential buyers of the authenticity of the craft, some internet advertisers are evasive or misleading about the history of Oaxacan wood carving and the ethnic identity of the artisans. Most, however, avoid rhetoric about authenticity and focus instead on the pieces' craftmanship, artistic quality, and emotional appeal. Copyright © 2008 by the Society for Applied Anthropology.