Activism to make and do: The (quiet) politics of textile community groups

Warner, Helen and Inthorn, Sanna (2022) Activism to make and do: The (quiet) politics of textile community groups. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 25 (1). pp. 86-101. ISSN 1367-8779

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Abstract

Based on qualitative interviews conducted with local guilds, charities and community groups in England, this article highlights the public service older women provide for their communities by volunteering their labour to local textile craft groups. Driven by an ethics of care, they make up for a lack of services formerly provided by the welfare state, such as public transport and mental health support. We mobilise existing literature on ‘quiet activism’ to argue that their community work constitutes a form of political activism, albeit one that stops short of overtly challenging the political system. While highlighting the ways in which older women quietly go about helping their communities, we argue that by being ‘louder’ about the public service they provide, they could help disrupt the narrative of a system that has failed their communities and exploits their free labour.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies (former - to 2024) Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Art, Media and American Studies (former - to 2024)
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Cultural Politics, Communications & Media
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	28 Aug 2021 00:09
Last Modified:	30 Sep 2024 00:20
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/81248
DOI:	10.1177/13678779211046015

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