Kashida crafts (hand embroidery) have been practiced for centuries and have a rich cultural heritage that has been passed down from generation to generation. However, with the advent of modern technology, changing trends in fashion, and the thriving markets of machine-made craft products, handmade crafts such as Kashida are progressively losing their relevance in recent times. The paper aims at exploring the perspectives, narratives, challenges and barriers of women artisans of the desert in adopting the digital ecosystem for their craft. The paper follows a qualitative approach and undertakes thematic analysis from the case of 10 women artisans to draw inferences on critical factors, bottlenecks and the possibilities of strengthening the digital spaces. The findings reveal that there is financial instability and a generational gap in digital literacy. Overcoming these barriers can empower artisans to utilize digital platforms for wider reach and cultural preservation.
AndreaAFerriFGrifoniP, et al. (2013) Digital eco-systems: The next generation of business services. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Management of Emergent Digital EcoSystems: 40–44.
2.
BardhanABhattacharyaA (2022) Role of traditional crafts in dustainable development and building community resilience: Case stories from India. Culture. Society. Economy. Politics2(1): 38–50.
3.
DayalDChauhanR (2024) Contemporary Indian women artists as digital social commentators on women’s empowerment. Journal of Visual and Performing Arts 5(1): 421–427.
4.
DeepshikhaYammiyavarP (2020) Empowering textile crafts through the Internet of things technology. Information and Communication Technology for Sustainable Development: Proceedings of ICT4SD 2018: 501–511.
5.
EjazLGrinevichVKaratas-OzkanM (2023) Women’s informal entrepreneurship through the lens of institutional voids and institutional logics. Gender, Work & Organization30(4): 1254–1272.
6.
ErdurDA (2021) The role of social entrepreneurship in women’s empowerment: Case of cöp (m) adam. In: Creating Social Value Through Social Entrepreneurship. IGI Global, pp. 243–260.
7.
HadzicMDillonTChangE (2007) Use of digital ecosystem and ontology technology for standardization of medical records. 2007 Inaugural IEEE-IES Digital EcoSystems and Technologies Conference: 595–601.
8.
IsaWMWAzanNRosdiF, et al (2019) Digital preservation of cultural heritage: Terengganu brassware craft knowledge base. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications (IJACSA)10(6): 96–102.
9.
JainRSharmaS (2015) A study on the awareness of artisan on various government schemes and policies for handicrafts with special reference to Madhya Pradesh. ZENITH International Journal of Business Economics & Management Research5(11): 20–28.
10.
KellyGAdamM (2023) Women entrepreneurs negotiating identities in liminal digital spaces. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice47(5): 1942–1970.
11.
KimJHBaeZ-TKangSH (2008) The role of online brand community in new product development: Case studies on digital product manufacturers in Korea. International Journal of Innovation Management12(03): 357–376.
12.
KolayS (2016) Cultural heritage preservation of traditional Indian art through virtual new-media. Procedia – Social Behavioural Science225: 309–320.
13.
KorpelaKKuusiholmaUTaipaleO, et al. (2013) A framework for exploring digital business ecosystems. 2013 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences: 3838–3847.
14.
KosDKloppenburgS (2019) Digital technologies, hyper-transparency and smallholder farmer inclusion in global value chains. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability41: 56–63.
15.
KumariGEguruzeES (2022) Social entrepreneurship among artisans. In: Artisan and Handicraft Entrepreneurs: Past, Present, and Future. Springer, pp. 161–182.
16.
LevisM (2011). Working toward women’s economic empowerment: Using information and communication technology in developing areas to market traditional crafts. Human-Computer Interaction. Users and Applications: 14th International Conference, HCI International 2011, Orlando, FL, USA, July 9–14, 2011, Proceedings, Part IV 14, 266–273.
17.
MajeedI (2018) Indian handicraft industry and globalization: An analysis of issues and challenges. American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences25(1): 129–135.
18.
MehtaRSinghPGuptaT, et al. (2024) Researching and reinventing the Kalbelia quilts of Rajasthan. Craft Research15(2): 295–318.
MousaMAlthalathiniDAvolioB (2024) Autonomy, competence and relatedness: How and why do artisan entrepreneurs act as responsible leaders?Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development31(5): 999–1020.
21.
NoorSAkhtarCNaveedS, et al (2022) Women artisan facing obstacles in artisan and handicraft entrepreneurs. 1st ed. 2021 Past, Present, and Future Contributions to Management Science Series. p. XXVI, 285.
22.
OjhaJMishraB (2013) Building capacities of rural women artisans: Case studies of women empowerment from Thar desert of western Rajasthan. Journal of Rural Development32: 291–300.
23.
PatelNNindrodaVPatelHM (2024) Preserving cultural heritage: Enhancing the documentation and promotion of Indian handicrafts through machine learning. In: RajagopalSPopatKMevaD, et al (eds) Advancements in Smart Computing and Information Security. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, pp. 445–461.
24.
SawantJGuruRKulkarniSP, et al. (2023) Indian northern region old heritage hand embroidery manufacturing techniques. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts4(2): 74–86.
25.
SharanMShahMAgrawalD (2023) Indigenous age of traditional embroidery practiced by meghwal community. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts4(2): 325–338.
26.
SharmaSKumarA (2021) Can social enterprises create holistic women empowerment?JWEE3–4: 96–112.
27.
SinghH (2022) Handicraft community and current practices for Rajasthan. Neuroquantology 20(12): 744.
28.
SinghN (2023) Handicrafts of Rajasthan: Looking through the lens of utilitarian purpose. The Construction and Art of Pottery Making Xxiii, 149–157.
YadavUSoodKTripathiR, et al (2023) Entrepreneurship in India’s handicraft industry with the support of digital technology and innovation during natural calamities. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning18(6): 1777–1791.
33.
YangYShafiMSongX, et al. (2018) Preservation of cultural heritage embodied in traditional crafts in the developing countries. A case study of Pakistani handicraft industry. Sustainability10(5): 1336.
34.
ZabulisXKaramaounasPOikonomidouO, et al (2023) Advances on the detection and measurement of bubble contours during subcooled boiling in microgravity. Measurement222: 113644.
