This beautifully crafted book explores needlework; encompassing sewing, embroidery, weaving, quilting, tattooing and more; as a lens for understanding gendered and marginalised histories and identities. Through case studies from across Africa, it highlights the work of fashion designers, weavers, seamstresses, LGBTQI+ activists and artists. Their work reveals how needlework shapes and challenges identities, gender roles and social structures, offering a platform for selfexpression and historical storytelling. This collection also shows how embroidery, specifically, has enabled economic agency.
Far from trivial, needlework serves as an alternative archive, uncovering voices often sidelined. The book examines how practices like beadwork, tapestry and crochet reflect complex ideas of gender, identity and belonging in African contexts. Each chapter illustrates how these crafts empower makers to tell their stories, blending artistry with cultural and historical significance.
With striking visuals, this volume invites readers to see needlework anew; not as mere craft, but as a vital tool for documenting and reimagining history. It challenges assumptions about its importance, showing how these everyday acts of creation amplify marginalised perspectives. Needlework in Africa is an engaging read for those interested in how textiles and craftsmanship weave powerful narratives of identity and resilience.
eBook - ePub
Needlework in Africa
Stitching identities and histories
- 339 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Needlework in Africa
Stitching identities and histories
About this book
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Acronyms
- Introduction
- PART 1: HISTORIES OF CLOTH
- PART II: CLOTHING AND GENDER POLITICS
- PART III: DIASPORIC NARRATIVES
- PART IV: BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC HISTORIES
- PART V: GENDER, IDENTITY AND AGENCY
- Contributors
- Index
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Yes, you can access Needlework in Africa by Jonathan Botes,Linda Chernis,Francisca Gigante Godinho da Silva,Laurence Douny,Patricia Gérimont,Philippa Hobbs,Rachel Dixon Kabukala,Nessa Leibhammer,Fatima Leveque,Myriem Naji,Shonisani Netshia,Line Relisieux,Christopher Richards,Elisha Renne,Salif Sawadogo,Bonke Sonjani,Natalie Swanepoel,Vanessa , Annie Devenish,Sophie Dulucq,Marie Opplert,Brenda Schmahmann,Jonathan Botes,Linda Chernis,Francisca Gigante Godinho da Silva,Laurence Douny,Patricia Gérimont,Philippa Hobbs,Rachel Dixon Kabukala,Nessa Leibhammer,Fatima Leveque,Myriem Naji,Shonisani Netshia,Line Relisieux,Christopher Richards,Elisha in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Art & Fashion Design. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.