Qom handcraft market: dynamics of production and selling in La Plata

Abstract

This article seeks to contribute to the analysis of the socio-economic dynamics of indigenous artisans in a migratory context. For that, the production, distribution and sale of handcrafts by the qom people in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires, Argentina, are analyzed. To achieve this aim, a qualitative methodology with an ethnographic approach was used. A reflexive and inter-epistemic approach was carried out, enabling the inclusion of different types of knowledge in the research and describing the role that handcraft production and sale play among qom migrants. Finally, the importance of handcrafts as both objects and practices is highlighted. Through links of mutual help and reciprocity, they bond communities and reunite fellow members of the same town to meet and live together again in urban contexts.

Key words:
handicraft production; selling; qom people; reciprocity