ABSTRACT
Rishton pottery has been very popular among foreign tourists as an exotic souvenir of Uzbekistan since the late 1990s. The pottery masters in Rishton have transformed local handicrafts into attractive products for tourists, as a means for survival in the midst of major social and economic changes after Uzbekistan’s independence; this transformation is why the authenticity of the products is questioned. Although the Rishton pottery artisans’ struggles are locally and historically limited, the structures in which the crafts and artisans are situated is very similar to those in many other places where the craftworkers’ livelihoods rely on making souvenirs for tourists. Thus, examining the case of Rishton pottery expands our understanding of the notion of authenticity in global handicraft markets. In this chapter, to understand the multiple authenticities of Rishton pottery, the social aspects of the pottery technique used by the master potters are shown in a four-vector diagram. As a result, the difference in the assertion of authenticity among potters is revealed, especially that the social valuation of the same technique can change over time. Through this analysis, I will show that understanding the social position of the technique supporting handicrafts is very useful in understanding the differentiation of authenticities among artisans.
