Bolga baskets—handwoven in a rural region of northern Ghana—are sold in markets across Europe, North America, and Japan. How did a locally made craft from an African village become a globally traded commodity?

The Village of Basketry traces the development of the Bolga basket industry from a local craft to an export-oriented industry and livelihood. Based on detailed ethnographic fieldwork in the Bolgatanga region, it examines changes in production techniques, raw material supply, and trading practices, as well as the roles played by artisans, traders, and intermediaries.

At the same time, the book explores how basket makers negotiate between the demands of market economies and local ways of working and living. By focusing on everyday practices of making, selling, and mediating exchange, it reveals how a local society is shaped through its connections with the wider world.

About Editors and Authors

USHIKU Haruka is Associate Professor of Hokkai-Gakuen University. She completed a doctoral program at the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Area Studies. From the perspective of cultural anthropology, her research focuses on the relationship between African rural economies and international markets. As a member of the Japan Association for African Studies and the Japan Society for International Development, she employs a multifaceted approach to analyze how local livelihoods evolve and what elements endure amidst the waves of globalization.

Table of contents

Preface
Preface to the English Edition 
Notes on this book
Introduction 
Chapter 1. Life and Industry in Bolgatanga
Chapter 2. The Transformation of Basket Weaving in Bolgatanga
Chapter 3. Weaving Techniques: Changes and Continuity 
Chapter 4. Material: Reorganization of the Material Supply Chain
Chapter 5. Make a Living: Basket-Weaving in Village Life 
Chapter 6. Buy and Sell: Local Transaction System 
Chapter 7. Bridge the Gap: Practices of Brokers 
Conclusion 
Afterword 
Bibliography 
Index