Kantha Stitch as Indigenous Ecological Knowledge: Women-Led Regenerative Tourism and Rights of Nature in West Bengal
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The present research focuses on Kantha embroidery in West Bengal as a type of the so-called Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK), leaving its traditional definition as a type of a craft-based activity of livelihood. Based on a two-stage qualitative design, the research integrates document analysis on policy frameworks and institutional initiatives with semi-structured interviews that will be conducted with the intermediaries who will be working closely with the artisan communities in Birbhum and Bolpur. The results show that Kantha is an embodiment of a material-reusing practice, intergenerational knowledge exchange, and everyday life-based ecological ethics. Instead of following the models of high-volume tourism, artisans and facilitators focus on slower and community-based forms of engagement that are more focused on the continuity of cultures and environmental sensitivity. The paper also locates Kantha within the new discourses on rights of nature through a suggested complementary perspective on rights of craft that argues the necessity to make craft traditions appear as socio-ecological systems instead of market commodities. By following the same steps, the paper suggests women artisans are dynamic guardians of ecological expertise to current discussions within sustainable tourism, feminist environmentalism, and cultural policy. The policy implications are presented in accordance with service governance and agreeableness with SDG 5, SDG 11 and SDG 12.
Authors: Ananya Mitra, Pratiksha Pradhan
Institution: Amity University
Language: English
Topic: Crafts, Textile, and Design
Subfield: Museology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4412121472