{"product_id":"needlework-in-africa-stitching-identities-and-histories-paperback","title":"Needlework in Africa: Stitching Identities and Histories - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAnnie Devenish\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eSophie Dulucq\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eMarie Opplert\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003cbr\u003eFar 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.\u003cbr\u003eWith 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. \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNeedlework in Africa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e is an engaging read for those interested in how textiles and craftsmanship weave powerful narratives of identity and resilience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnnie Devenish (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Senior lecturer in the Department of History at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSophie Dulucq (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Professor of History at the University of Toulouse and a former director of IFAS-Recherche in Johannesburg (Institut Français d'Afrique du Sud). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarie Opplert (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Research project manager at the French Research Centre of South Africa, IFAS-Research. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBrenda Schmahmann (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBrenda Schmahmann\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eJonathan Botes (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLinda Chernis (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e South African archivist and heritage practitioner who has worked in museums and archives for the past 20 years. She is the archivist at the GALA Queer Archives in Johannesburg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrancisca Gigante Godinho da Silva (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e PhD candidate in Art History at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and an independent curator of international solo and group exhibitions and performances across Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Japan. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaurence Douny (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Social anthropologist and Research Associate at Humboldt University, Berlin. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePatricia Gérimont (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Independent researcher, author and director of two documentary films, Images en bibliothèques (2014) and Pères blancs, Prêtres noirs (2018). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePhilippa Hobbs (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Senior research associate with the SARChI Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture at the University of Johannesburg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eRachel Dixon Kabukala (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Associate Curator of African Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, and a PhD candidate in the Department of Art History and African Studies Program at Indiana University. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNessa Leibhammer (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Independent researcher, writer and curator with a particular interest in material culture approached from an interdisciplinary position. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFatima Leveque (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Master craftswoman specialising in textile design who was born in Morocco and worked between Morocco and France. She founded her company, La Métisse, in 1999. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMyriem Naji (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Social anthropologist and Honorary Fellow at University College London specialising in North-African textiles, dress, the body and gender. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eShonisani Netshia (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lecturer in painting in the Department of Visual Art, Faculty Art, Design \u0026amp; Architecture at the University of Johannesburg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLine Relisieux (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e PhD candidate at the London School of Economics' Department of Geography and Environment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eChristopher Richards (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Director of Women's and Gender Studies and an Associate Professor of African Art History at Brooklyn College, New York. He is the author of Cosmopolitanism and Women's Fashion in Ghana (2022). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eElisha Renne (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Professor Emerita at the University of Michigan. She is the author of Cloth that Does Not Die (1995) and co-editor of Textile Ascendancies: Aesthetics, Production, and Trade in Northern Nigeria (2020). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSalif Sawadogo (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Research assistant and research affiliate at Humboldt University, Berlin. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBonke Sonjani (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Heritage practitioner and human rights activist at the human rights organisation, Iranti. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNatalie Swanepoel (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eNatalie Swanepoel\u003c\/b\u003e is an archaeologist at the University of South Africa, Pretoria. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eVanessa Tembane (Editor) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e South African-born artist with a Mozambican heritage who currently resides and works in Johannesburg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 308\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.97 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 20, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46366512480391,"sku":"9781997461005","price":76.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/4RhUZKsPcB9781997461005.webp?v=1793314223","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/needlework-in-africa-stitching-identities-and-histories-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}