Textile Practices, Gendered Labor, and the Politics of Care in Displacement and Diaspora

The article analyses textile practices in the contexts of forced migration and diaspora as feminist forms of resistance, care work, and memory-making. It demonstrates that embroidery, weaving, and sewing function as “technologies of affect” that empower cultural identity, support community continuity, and counteract the invisibility of displaced people. Drawing on the theories of Ahmed, Hooks, Anzaldúa, Taylor, and others, the text frames textiles as material archives and practices of “repertoire” embodied memory. Examples such as Palestinian tatreez, the Embroidery as Resistance projects, and the works of artists presented at the Venice Biennale illustrate the intricate relationship between art, politics, and everyday care work. The article critiques Western-centric approaches to fashion, proposing a redefinition of it as a practice of survival and care. Ultimately, the text suggests that textile practices not only document the past but also speculatively design feminist futures based on solidarity and freedom.