Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title

Society for the Anthropology of Work Review

Publication Date

2012

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Volume

33

Issue

2

Abstract

The goal of this study is to distill from a large body of literature on children learning crafts, such as pottery and weaving, the characteristics of apprenticeship as a distinct phenomenon. Currently apprenticeship is considered indistinguishable from other, more informal, means of skill transmission. From the literature survey, eleven attributes are identified as belonging to the archetypal apprenticeship. The analysis then advances to consider the genesis or raison d’etre for the apprenticeship. The argument is advanced that the apprenticeship is designed to simultaneously train novices in specific craft or trade skills while socializing them to join the social and cultural elite represented by master craftsmen. The article concludes by considering the role of apprenticeship in the evolution of schooling.

Comments

Wiley-Blackwell is the copyright holder on this work. Please use the publisher's recommended citation.

Share

COinS