Materializing Tradition: Negotiating Craft, Authenticity, and Globalization through Bát Tràng Pottery

This article examines how tradition is materially and visually negotiated in contemporary Vietnam through the case study of Bt Trng pottery.While tradition is often understood as an inherited body of work in modern society, this study argues that it operates as a dynamic performance shaped by state policy, market forces, and consumer expectations.Drawing on qualitative visual analysis and contextual interpretation, the article explores three categories of Bt Trng ceramics: everyday utilitarian wares, symbolic decorative items, and experimental conceptual works.Through close attention to forms, ornamentation, materiality, and display, the study shows how ceramic objects transform tradition into a visually staged performance that resonates across domestic, ritual, touristic, and global market contexts.Specifically, utilitarian wares show continuity through subtle design adaptations; altar sets and Phong Thu vases demonstrate how spiritual symbolism is commodified, and contemporary ceramic boots destabilize conventional forms by combining heritage with global aesthetics.By situating Bt Trng pottery within Vietnam s post-i Mi cultural economy, this article highlights how artisans, consumers, and state institutions collaboratively recognize and rework tradition through material practice.This article contributes to cultural studies debates on heritage, authenticity, and globalization by demonstrating how Southeast Asian craft practices complicate Euro-American theoretical models and reframe authenticity as a process grounded in visual negotiation, cultural recognition, and material circulation.