Crafting, Quilting, and Social Justice

Abstract

In this chapter, I chart a history of sewing and quilting in particular relate to issues of social justice. I document experiences of oppression in Chile and China before honing in on histories of sewing in the North of England and how women have used quilting as a way of making a personal statement. Bringing this idea of advocacy through sewing into the world of electronic textiles, I draw out opportunities for these two disparate approaches to craft can come together in the context of sex work research. To conclude this chapter, I highlight how participatory e-textiles making can help document, unravel, and advocate for changes in oppressive systems towards more socially just worlds.