nine - Oral histories and lacemaking as strategies for resilience in women’s craft groups

Summary

Editorial introduction

This chapter is based on an ethnographic study of a women's lacemaking network in Kraków, Poland. As such, the chapter has much in common with Reynold's chapter discussing women's craft activities in the English Midlands. Indeed, this chapter confirms the value of craft work as both a creative and social activity and as contributing to the participants’ resilience. However, it also highlights how the place of creativity is understood in historic craft traditions in a manner that is distinct from understandings of creativity that draw on theatre or fine art. Furthermore, the project reported on here encouraged the women in the lacemaking groups to become amateur ethnographic researchers and advocates for the cultural value of their traditions – processes that had consequences for their identities and resilience.

Introduction

Resilience – when contextualised in relation to older age – can be understood as a process leading to successful adaptation to stresses, difficulties and disturbances associated with ageing and change. It is seen as an important component of ageing and the accompanying decreases in personal autonomy, decline in cognitive functions and coping with the loss of significant others (Tomas et al, 2012). Resilience can be understood as ‘a process of recovery (how well individuals are able to bounce back from adversity), sustainability (the capacity to continue to move forward in the face of adversity), and growth (the ability to further develop as a response to adversity)’ (Manning, 2013, p 569). It is also seen as a ‘dynamic interaction between an individual and his or her social and material environment’ (Janssen et al, 2012, p 344), happening in a particular time and place and in relation with others.

In this chapter, the concept of resilience provides a framework for reflecting upon the ability of individuals to withstand adversities related to old age through engagement in creative craft activity and told through oral stories. The opportunity to express oneself through creative means has been said to promote a sense of control and strengthens social ties (McFadden and Basting, 2010), to create a meaning (life has a purpose) and perseverance (a will to remain involved and active) (Alex, 2010), so that the individuals become more aware and engaged in their everyday life activities.