A place in the book of mankind: Global structures of local identity Dr Kevin Murray Paper for Cheongju Academic Craft Summit 2, 20 September 2023 See slides here. Summary Networks like UNESCO Creative Cities and World Craft Cities are premised on the idea that cultural specialisations are distributed across the world. It presumes that there is a greater whole to which each locality contributes. The most specific form this has taken is a book. The prime example of this is the Encyclopèdie project of the Enlightenment, which sought to gather information about the world's skills and knowledge into one publication. This project continues today with the craft encyclopedia project of the Ghada Hijjawi-Qaddumi Foundation for Handicrafts and Arts, which profiles each country's craft specialisations. More practically, the process of cultural mapping has seen successful online manifestations, such as the Homo Faber guide to local craftspersons. The development of a global structure through which local cultures can contribute to a whole is an ongoing challenge. It offers both a source of civic pride and also a useful network for trade and cultural exchange. A significant challenge is the tension between East and West, reflected in the rivalry between China and USA. It is critical that the "book of mankind" continues to be relevant and meaningful. Introduction "Globalization operates by flattening out all differences. It turns every place into another place and every person into another person." Byung-Chul Han Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power (2017) Homogenisation and loss of diversity are serious problems of our time. According to a UNESCO report, Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2010), approximately half the world's languages are endangered. 230 languages disappeared in the last 50 years. We suffer a similar loss of diversity in agriculture with monoculture farming and the loss of biological species due to human development. Local identity can be an important counterweight to this growing empire of sameness. One important element of local identity is craft specialisation. This is most evident when a place becomes known for its particular craft traditions and products, such as Kyoto for kimonos or Tabriz for carpets. How do we foster such local identities?