The AHRC-ESRC funded research project The Value of Culture in Conflict, led by Dr Neelam Raina from Middlesex University London, works with local organisation SABAH to support female entrepreneurship in design in the Neelum Valley.

The project has enabled women to develop their craft practices to generate sustainable incomes through training, peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange with other practitioners. This project provides tailored solutions through inclusive and locally-led approaches to support poverty alleviation.

Women in The Neelum Valley live within a fragile and conflict-affected region due to its geo-political location. This contested border region between India and Pakistan is heavily reliant on subsistence agriculture and handicrafts, the latter is primarily undertaken by female home based workers.

“We wanted to see how women in conflict areas use their cultural and coded, tacit knowledge to respond to the conflict in which they live and to support their socio-economic empowerment…Men respond differently to conflict than women; the bulk of responsibility of peace-building is often placed on the women of the region, exacerbating previously existing inequalities.” Dr Neelam Raina

To date, a total of 32 women have received training in design and business skills which has included head trainers from villages in Neelum Valley (Kashmir) and craftswomen from Balochistan as well as management teams who have then cascaded learning to other women within the community.

Within design systems in most developing economies, tradition has tended to outweigh innovation, and experimentation is viewed by home based workers as wasteful and risky. However, the returns from innovation can be significant for livelihoods and confidence. This project has empowered women to approach design elements of colour, line, shape, space and form creating a safe space to experiment, explore and apply alternative design methods to widen their repertoire of products. Craftswomen now know how to apply traditional embroidery skills used for embellishing womenswear on new and varied products such as bags and scarves – this is what they had indicated as a target and ambition from their training. The pieces that resulted from the project were showcased at the National College of Arts Rawalpindi, inaugurated by Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Education in October 2017. This exhibition is also going to be installed at the British Academy in London in May 2018.

Click here to more about more about courses in the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries.