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Mar­got Bustamante

Research Assistant

Emner
Organisation Cirkulær økonomi Kreativitet Bæredygtighed Økologi Kultur

Primary research areas

Cir­cu­lar Craft as Al­tern­at­ive Growth
I re­search how cir­cu­lar craft prac­tices chal­lenge con­ven­tion­al busi­ness mod­els of scal­ing and ex­trac­tion, and how craft makers can demon­strate dif­fer­ent paths to what suc­cess means.
Care and More-than-Hu­man Re­la­tions
I in­vest­ig­ate how re­la­tion­ships with waste, ma­ter­i­als, and more-than-hu­man act­ors re­shape what or­gan­iz­a­tions can be. Care emerges not only as feel­ing, but as polit­ic­al prac­tice that res­ists ex­trac­tion and nur­tures col­lect­ive respons­ibility.
Spec­u­lat­ive Meth­ods and Art-Based Re­search
I ex­plore how art-based re­search cap­tures de­tailed, sens­ory, and re­la­tion­al di­men­sions that con­ven­tion­al re­search of­ten over­looks, open­ing space for mar­gin­al­ized voices and al­tern­at­ive pos­sib­il­it­ies.

Ex­plor­ing how craft, cir­cu­lar­ity and care cre­ate al­tern­at­ive fu­tures

I care about alternative ways of organizing. Through case studies on circular craft making, I explore how care, slowness and community can take precedence over profit accumulation and conventional growth.

Through ethnographic work with ceramic studios and craft makers in Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, I investigate how they serve as living examples of sustainable organizing.

Looking ahead, I plan to expand this research to Latin America, particularly Mexico, using visual ethnography through a postcolonial and feminist lens.

My research helps:

My work opens dialogues with craft makers to reimagine growth based on their values and skills, offering models that can inform small businesses seeking alternatives to conventional expansion.

Through HEPHAESTUS, my research supports European Parliament policy dialogues, helping shape regulations that protect craft makers and sustainable production.

Recent research projects

Her­it­age in EuroPe: new tecH­no­lo­gies in crAft for prE­Serving and in­nov­aT­ing fU­tureS (HEP­H­AES­TUS)

The pro­ject aims to re­search, pre­serve and in­nov­ate craft sec­tors to de­liv­er a cut­ting-edge, cre­at­ive, and sus­tain­able tech­no­logy-driv­en eco­nomy based on cul­tur­al her­it­age. 
HEPHAESTUS