Negotiating sustainability through information practices in an indigenous weaving knowledge ecosystem

Information from the abstract

Purpose This study examines indigenous weaving in Ban Huay Tong Kor, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, from an information studies perspective. It explores how information practices connect cultural identity, environmental stewardship, and governance within a knowledge ecosystem, and how these connections support sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative interpretive case study, drawing on semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation. Data were analysed thematically to examine the roles of weavers, community leaders, and external actors, informed by concepts of information practices, embodied knowledge, and information resilience. Findings The study shows that indigenous weaving operates as an integrated knowledge ecosystem in which information practices coordinate multiple dimensions of community life. Cultural identity is mobilised as a strategic resource, environmental stewardship is enacted through adaptive practices, and governance is sustained through trust-based relational systems. The findings also highlight the emergence of hybrid information practices that combine tacit, embodied, and digital forms of knowledge, positioning information as a strategic resource that enables communities to respond to market pressures and intergenerational change. Originality/value This study extends information studies into the context of indigenous creative economies by conceptualising traditional craft as an integrated knowledge ecosystem. It introduces the concept of negotiated sustainability, showing how communities mobilise knowledge to adapt, coordinate, and sustain cultural practices under changing socio-economic conditions.

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Related topics: Crafts, Textile, and Design · Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Agriculture · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction