Design for poverty alleviation and craft revitalization in rural China from an actor-network perspective: the case of bamboo-weaving in Shengzhou

Li, Wenjia; Li, Ziwei; Kou, Huaiyun

doi:10.1186/s40494-021-00637-7

Heritage Science

Table 1 The composition and action goals of the actor network

From: Design for poverty alleviation and craft revitalization in rural China from an actor-network perspective: the case of bamboo-weaving in Shengzhou

Actors	Categories	Composition	Action goal
Human actor	Inside the rural community	Village craftsmen, local governments, village enterprises, villagers’ cooperatives, etc.	Protect and inherit cultural values, and increase economic benefits
Human actor	Outside the rural community	Design groups, education and training institutions, social organizations, etc.	Provide scientific theoretical guidance and technical support
Non-human actant	Material elements	Natural resources, human resources, industry development, skills, etc.	Protect and inherit intangible cultural heritage in rural areas
Non-human actant	Non-material elements	Daily life, funds, policies, relevant laws and regulations, information, etc.	Create a good rural handicraft cultural environment

Craftsmen: Craftsmen are the largest group in the actor network of DPA, the core actors in rural construction, the objects of rights and information, and the groups most directly affected by poverty alleviation actions. Their appeal is to increase income and improve the life quality by making, producing various bamboo woven products
Design group: It is the coordinator of the network of DPA, with professional design knowledge and vocational skills. It can become a communication bridge among the government, craftsmen and other actors in the DPA process, coordinate the interests of various actors, provide technical support for handicraft design, and enhance the villagers’ self-governance awareness and realize their own value by the combination of theory and practice
Village enterprise: It is the supporter of the action network, which realizes participation by providing production technology and commercial services. It obtains profit through investment and maximizs public interests
Villagers’ cooperatives: They are participants in the action network, and provide employment opportunities for villagers through mutual economic organizations established through the cooperation of similar handicrafts
Local government: It usually plays the leader in the actors network and the representative of public interests, realizing the overall development of urban and rural areas and promoting local social, economic and cultural development and the formulation and implementation of related policies
Social organization: It is an assistant to the actors network. Since social organizations are independent of the government and the market, they play a positive role in making up for the lack of the main body of public welfare social affairs in rural areas. It provides assistance in training and funding for rural construction, promoting rural development and enhancing the quality of villagers

Back to article page