The ‘community of practice’ is a concept that has emerged at the forefront of scholarly and professional discussions of apprenticeship, collective learning and collaboration. A particularly influential notion in the fields of the material arts, decorative arts, and crafts, community of practice emphasises a more democratic approach to the development of skills and ideas.
Drawing on ethnographic research with Mexican woodcarvers from the state of Oaxaca, Dr Alanna Cant, University of Reading reveals that the community of practice approach can also obscure the practices and...
