長期以來,工藝似乎是一個實踐性甚於理論性的場域。工藝的默會知識特質使其不易被文字化,也因此經常被視為相較不具學術價值的研究對象。雖然如此,工藝的知識特質也啟發許多傳統學科的研究者,在藝術史、設計史、文化史、文化人類學、物質研究、社會學等各個領域中不乏被關注,而這關注自1990年代以來與日俱長,更出現以工藝作為研究主體的學科化發展(becoming a discipline)。「工藝」以獨立的姿態被論述,由英國開始向外擴展的「美術與工藝運動」(Arts and Craft Movement)可說是最常被參引的背景,然而,工藝受到關注討論,甚至發展為獨立的學術研究領域,則是20世紀晚期以來的現象。1990年代,根據菊池裕子的觀察,無論歐美或者日本的視覺藝術界都掀起一股談論「工藝」的熱潮,對於英語學界工藝學術論述的開展和建構可說是關鍵性的時期。前者對於「什麼是工藝」、「工藝與藝術及設計的差別」、「工藝對於當代社會的重要性為何」等問題的思辨,成為2000年代起以工藝為主題之豐富出版著作的基礎,並且逐漸開啟工藝學科化的發展。如何在先行者的發展中獲得養分,作為「工藝學」在臺灣的發展基礎,是本文關心的重點。本文的撰述緣於「工藝學總論先期調查研究計畫」,研究期程自2022年7月至2023年5月,共計11個月,透過文獻蒐集、資料分析、深度訪談等方式,釐清國內外工藝研究發展趨勢。作為工藝學的前端研究,計畫採「工藝學史」(historiography of craft studies)觀點作為方法,梳理工藝理論發展的系譜,整合國內外各時期工藝重要研究成果的統計、文獻主題與內容分析做為工藝學架構的建議。在英語文獻方面,除了學術專書的蒐集,亦以《現代工藝學刊》(The Journal of Modern Craft)、《設計史學刊》(Journal of Design History)以及《工藝研究》(Craft Research)三份焦點期刊作為重心,藉由分析焦點英文期刊的研究議題與研究者背景等,了解國際工藝學術研究的發展趨勢與走向。全文共分為四部分:工藝的定義與知識的獨特性、英國與北歐工藝學的發展、當代臺灣工藝專業實踐者的類型與樣態,並提出臺灣工藝學芻議。
For a long time, craftsmanship has seemed to be a field more practical than theoretical. The embodied nature of craft's knowledge makes it difficult to be verbalized, often resulting in it being perceived as less academically valuable. Nevertheless, the inherent qualities of craft knowledge continue to inspire researchers in various traditional disciplines such as art history, design history, cultural history, cultural anthropology, material studies, sociology, and more. This attention has grown steadily since the 1990s, leading to the disciplinary development of craft studies. The discourse around "craft" gained its independent stance, with the "Arts and Crafts Movement" originating in the UK being the most frequently referenced background. However, the significant attention, discussion, and evolution of craft into an independent academic field have primarily occurred since the late 20th century. In the 1990s, as observed by Yuko Kikuchi, both the Western and Japanese visual art scenes experienced a surge of interest in discussing "craft," marking this a pivotal period for the development and construction of academic discourse on craft. Their discussions on questions like "What is craft?", "The distinction between craft, art, and design," and "The significance of craft in contemporary society" have formed the foundation for the rich publications centered around craft since the 2000s, gradually facilitating the disciplinary development of craft studies. This paper focuses on how to draw nourishment from the predecessors' development as the basis for the growth of "craft studies" in Taiwan. This paper is based on the "Preliminary Survey and Research on Craft Studies," conducted from July 2022 to May 2023, spanning 11 months. Through methods such as literature collection, data analysis, and in-depth interviews, the paper sets out to clarify the trends in domestic and international craft research development. In addition to collecting academic monographs, the study focuses on three key English journals: The Journal of Modern Craft, Journal of Design History, and Craft Research. By analyzing the research topics and backgrounds of researchers in these journals, the paper aims to comprehend the international trends and directions of academic research on craft. This paper is divided into four sections: the definition of craft and the uniqueness of its knowledge, the development of craft studies in the UK and Northern Europe, the contemporary professional craft practices in Taiwan, and a proposition of the discipline of craft studies in Taiwan.