Ithaca College

The Prince Claus Fund of the Netherlands has commissioned Professor Patricia R. Zimmermann to do a study on the relationship between handicrafts and folk art, politics digitality, and cultural resistance. Zimmerman is professor of Cinema and Photography and coordinator for Culture and Communication in the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies.

Titled "Looking for Buddha," Zimmermann's study and essay analyze the interstitial relationships between the Cambodian genocide, the revival of handicrafts by non-governmental organizations, and the development of digital infrastructures and digital imaging in Southeast Asia. The study also analyzes the contradictions of the global entertainment industry's outsourcing production to Southeast Asia in relationship to economic destabilizations.

The Prince Claus Fund of the Netherlands funds and promotes scholarly and artistic work focused on, or located in, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Zimmermann's essay was recently published in January in the fund's book, The Future is Handmade: The Survival and Innovation of Crafts, edited by Iftikar Dadi.



Contributed by Patricia R. Zimmermann