Needlework, Affect and Social Transformation: The Everyday Textures of Feminist Activism

Needlework, Affect, and Social Transformation provides a new framework for interpreting textile crafts as affective social practices, connecting them to broader material and social conditions of inequality. It suggests that quilting, dressmaking, embroidery, and knitting are routine activities invested with emotions and entangled with political potential.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 19 October 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Needlework, Affect, and Social Transformation presents a groundbreaking framework for transcending binary discourses that categorize needlework practices as either feminist or reactionary. Through the use of transnational, contemporary case studies, such as the Social Justice Sewing Academy, fictionalized Bangladeshi garment workers, and the renowned Pussyhat Project, Katja May proposes a novel approach to interpreting textile crafts as affective social practices. By drawing on underrepresented issues of race, May establishes connections between her study and broader material and social conditions of inequality, enabling a nuanced and sensitive understanding of the role of needlework in feminist political activism. This broader perspective on the role of textile crafts in politics and activism conceptualizes quilting, dressmaking, embroidery, and knitting as routine activities infused with emotions and intricately entwined with material and social conditions, as well as political potential.

May's research offers a valuable contribution to the field by challenging prevailing notions and providing a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between needlework, affect, and social transformation. By exploring the emotional dimensions of textile crafts and their relationship to broader social and political contexts, May's work contributes to a richer understanding of feminist political activism and the potential for creative and impactful forms of resistance and change.

In conclusion, Needlework, Affect, and Social Transformation provides a thought-provoking and innovative framework for understanding the role of needlework in feminist political activism and social transformation. Through the use of transnational case studies and a nuanced understanding of the emotional dimensions of textile crafts, May offers a valuable contribution to the field and opens up new avenues for research and inquiry.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350283589