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Explore the intersection of textile arts and resistance movements in this 42-minute conference talk that reveals how knitting, embroidery, and other fiber crafts have served as tools of subversion and survival throughout history. Discover the hidden stories behind quilts that guided enslaved people along the Underground Railroad, knitted garments that carried Nazi resistance information during World War II, and cross-stitched messages that fooled oppressive regimes. Learn how patriarchal society's tendency to underestimate "feminine" domestic crafts has provided cover for centuries of organized resistance and political action. Examine the evolution of these practices into modern "craftivism" movements that use internet communities to build global networks of support and protest. Understand the scientifically-proven mental health benefits of textile work and how creating tangible items like homemade masks during COVID-19 demonstrates the continued relevance of craft-based community support. Gain insights into how marginalized and disenfranchised people have used textile mediums to organize, protest, and persist under oppressive conditions, and discover practical ways to apply these time-tested strategies for resistance in contemporary contexts.
