The transformation of manual labor into symbolic capital is a defining trait of the postindustrial urban economy, where formerly low-status occupations are repackaged as prestigious vocations through processes of aestheticization and class repositioning. Richard E. Ocejo’s ethnographic study Masters of Craft dissects this shift by examining how professions like butchery, bartending, and barbering are elevated in contemporary cities. These crafts, traditionally linked to working-class identity, are now practiced by educated, often white, middle-class individuals who embrace them not only as employment but as lifestyle and self-expression. The book argues that these revalorized jobs are performative, publicly staged, and deeply entwined with urban gentrification and the creation of "authentic" consumer experiences. These new artisans not only perform technical labor but also curate taste, educating clientele and shaping cultural hierarchies through interaction and presentation. This exclusive repositioning of craft reflects broader urban dynamics, where certain neighborhoods and commercial zones become cultural hubs for elite consumption, while the traditional functions of these trades are subtly displaced. Ocejo reveals that identity, labor, and value are no longer fixed to economic necessity but instead orbit the realm of symbolic performance, where work becomes a stage for enacting social distinction. The study underscores how urban redevelopment is as much about semiotic innovation as spatial transformation, positioning craftsmanship as both an economic strategy and a cultural discourse (Espinoza, 2020).
Espinoza, G.E. (2020). Reseña de Richard E. Ocejo (2017) Masters of craft: Old jobs in the new urban economy. URBS. Revista de Estudios Urbanos y Ciencias Sociales, 11(1), pp.119–122
