Agree to Disagree on Gondola Making: How the Unfolding of Controversies Within Craft Communities Shapes Alternative Ways of Organizing

The concept of craft has recently received significant attention for its potential to bring radical organisational, societal and ecological change. Nevertheless, craft communities experience tensions and controversies regarding the embodiment of such moral stances in practices. Therefore, we problematize the practical arrangements that may limit or enhance the potential for a craft-based prefigurative transformation. We use the French pragmatic sociology of critique as a lens to understand how actors translate moral principles into actions and navigate conflicts when multiple moral principles coexist. Specifically, we focus on the controversy regarding the introduction of marine plywood—instead of the traditional solid wood planks—into traditional gondola making, a craft with a strong affective and symbolic connection with the local community. Through interviews, documents and observations, we trace the evolution of the controversy by showing the unfolding of justifications and critiques by actors. Eventually, a fragile compromise that allows for diverse practices is reached. We contribute to the craft literature by illustrating that such a compromise enables craft communities to accept differences for the sake of a common good, which prevents the desegregation of the community itself. Moreover, we show that craft organisations can fail in their prefigurative radical intentions if they are overly backward-looking and that, conversely, compromises may facilitate the incorporation of alternative forms of organising into the capitalist system. Based on the pragmatic sociology of critique, we then show how actors’ pragmatic need to live together and accept differences can de-radicalise critiques.