This book explores the use of handmade crafts as a vehicle for protest. Craftivism has experienced a resurgence in recent years, often in direct response to the social, environment and political concerns of those who engage in the practice. Acts of craftivism raise important questions for criminologists about the use of public space, power, and resistance. McGovern focuses on an example of the ‘craftivist’ movement that has been steadily gaining momentum since the early to mid-2000s: yarn bombing. As an urban craft movement that melds the skills of knitting or crochet with the act of graffiti, yarn bombing has the potential to contribute to criminological understandings of graffiti and street art, particularly on issues of gender, perceptions of and motivations for graffiti, and the commodification of crime. Drawing on interviews with yarn bombers and craftivists, Craftivism and Yarn Bombing explores how such acts can be understood and explored through a criminological lens, and will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including criminology, sociology, cultural studies, gender studies, and urban studies.

Craft is a process-oriented practice that takes seriously the relationships between bodies—both human and nonhuman—and makes apparent how these relationships are mired in and informed by power structures. Making Matters introduces craft agency, a feminist vision of new materialist rhetorics that enables scholars to identify how power circulates and sometimes stagnates within assemblages of actors and provides tools to rectify that uneven distribution. To recast new materialist rhetorics as inherently crafty, Leigh Gruwell historicizes and locates the concept of craft both within rhetorical history as well as in the disciplinary history of writing studies. Her investigation centers on three specific case studies: craftivism, the fibercraft website Ravelry, and the 2017 Women’s March. These instances all highlight how a material, ecological understanding of rhetorical agency can enact political change. Craft agency models how we humans might work with and alongside things—nonhuman, sometimes digital, sometimes material—to create more equitable relationships. Making Matters argues that craft is a useful starting point for addressing criticisms of new materialist rhetorics not only because doing so places rhetorical action as a product of complex relationships between a network of human and nonhuman actors, but also because it does so with an explicitly activist agenda that positions the body itself as a material interface.

This book examines how rhetorically effective uses of silence and materiality mediate feminist activism and discusses the implications of these dynamics for pedagogy. Specifically, the text establishes a theoretical foundation for what the author terms “psychosocial composing,” or “the metaphorical composing and revising of individual participants and society, and the contribution of written and visual texts as an input and output of the relationships between individuals and social culture.” This idea is examined through primary research on the Clothesline Project, an international event that invites ​people who have experienced gender violence (directly or indirectly) to decorate tee shirts that get hung on clotheslines in public places. Through looking at values and roles of silence in global cultures and the use ​of material arts in activist efforts, the author argues for the unique value of silence and materiality in individual and collective spaces. The manuscript includes discussion questions and sample teaching materials. Overall, making connections among composition and rhetoric, psychology, sociology, politics, women’s studies, art and design, pedagogy, and history, this book further demonstrates the potential interdisciplinary approaches to rhetoric and communication.

Tailored for fashion students and equally relevant for fashion professionals, Pioneering New Perspectives in the Fashion Industry: Disruption, Diversity and Sustainable Innovation presents a ground-breaking, comprehensive and cutting-edge analysis of the challenges and opportunities reshaping the global fashion industry.

Geography is getting stranger. Out there, fleets of new islands are under construction and micro-nations are struggling into the light. As new borders and boundaries ebb and flow with increasing speed, it feels as if our old maps are being discarded, redrawn or torn up. Alastair Bonnett uncovers the stories of thirty-nine extraordinary places, each of which challenges us to re-imagine the world around us. From emerging islands, disruptive enclaves and bold utopian visions to uncanny ruins, ghostly tunnels and hidden landscapes – these are destinations that lie beyond ordinary coordinates. A follow on from the critically acclaimed Off the Map, this is a timely and fascinating discussion of place, ownership and ideas of state.

This book is the first to explore handicrafting practiced by media fans, their online fan communities and the multiple meanings they create. Based on in-depth ethnographic research into fans on the online social network for knitters, crocheters and crafters, Ravelry, Brigid Cherry explores textile craft by fans as both an artistic practice and transformative fan work. Including case studies of projects inspired by Doctor Who, True Blood, Firefly, Harry Potter, Sherlock and steampunk, the book engages with many forms of fan production, including fan art, fan fiction and cosplay. Fans of popular films and TV shows are increasingly engaging with textile crafts as a way of reworking, reimagining and engaging with cult media texts. Proving a global phenomenon amongst fan cultures in the digital media sphere, traditional film and TV audiences are forging their fan identities and participating in wider fan communities in innovative ways through online craft forums and blogs that showcase their knitting, crochet, spinning and dyeing projects. Exploring key debates from textile and media theory, surrounding gender, domesticity, the culture industries, audiences and fan culture, this book is essential reading for students of textiles, media studies, fashion, cultural and gender studies.

In June 2015, Bree Newsome scaled the flagpole in front of South Carolina’s state capitol and removed the Confederate flag. The following month, the Confederate flag was permanently removed from the state capitol. Newsome is a compelling example of a twenty-first-century woman rhetor, along with bloggers, writers, politicians, activists, artists, and everyday social media users, who give new meaning to Aristotle’s ubiquitous definition of rhetoric as the discovery of the “available means of persuasion.” Women’s persuasive acts from the first two decades of the twenty-first century include new technologies and repurposed old ones, engaged not only to persuade, but also to tell their stories, to sponsor change, and to challenge cultural forces that repress and oppress. Persuasive Acts: Women’s Rhetorics in the Twenty-First Century gathers an expansive array of voices and texts from well-known figures including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, Michelle Obama, Lindy West, Sonia Sotomayor, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, so that readers may converse with them, and build rhetorics of their own. Editors Shari J. Stenberg and Charlotte Hogg have complied timely and provocative rhetorics that represent critical issues and rhetorical affordances of the twenty-first century.

This quick-start guide explains how to use inquiry to promote civic engagement in the school library makerspace and provides ready-to-use ideas for hands-on service projects. By creating for their community in the school library makerspace, young people not only develop academic and cognitive skills but also learn to value building a culture of caring. Award-winning author Gina Seymour discusses her initiative to empower students to take an active role in making a difference and outlines how to implement similar programs in any school library setting. The book may be used in school libraries in conjunction with a service learning model to extend the learning that takes place in classrooms and to make youth feel a valuable part of their community. Numerous service project ideas are presented, from simple, low-cost, no-tech, craft-based ideas to high-tech projects including 3-D models, and while the book focuses on youth in middle school and high school, many projects may also be used in elementary school. Detailed project instructions include tips for making programs inclusive for all youth, and money-saving tips to promote sustainability.

"Whatever Happened to the White Picket Fences: Restoring the American Dream by Rebuilding Community" demonstrates a clear and consistent thematic continuity throughout its narrative. The central theme revolves around the decline of the American middle class and the erosion of community values, with a strong emphasis on the need to rebuild and restore both. The author consistently weaves together personal anecdotes, historical references, and social commentary to support this central theme. They begin by reminiscing about their childhood in the 1960s, a time they perceive as characterized by stronger communities and a more prosperous middle class. This sets the stage for a discussion of the factors that have contributed to the decline of the middle class, such as Reaganomics, corporate greed, and the erosion of unions. The author then explores various strategies for rebuilding the middle class and restoring community values. These include supporting local businesses, promoting vocational education, revitalizing main streets, embracing sustainable practices, and fostering civic engagement. Throughout the document, the author emphasizes the importance of individual action and collective responsibility in achieving these goals. While the document touches upon various subtopics, such as the rise of corporate landlords, the gig economy, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, these are all connected to the central theme of rebuilding the middle class and restoring community. The author effectively links these seemingly disparate topics by highlighting their impact on the economic and social well-being of individuals and communities. The document's continuity is further enhanced by the author's consistent use of language and tone. The writing style is personal and conversational, drawing the reader in with anecdotes and relatable experiences. The author's passion for the subject matter is evident throughout, creating a sense of urgency and inspiring readers to take action. In conclusion, "Whatever Happened to the White Picket Fences: Restoring the Middle Class by Rebuilding Community" demonstrates strong thematic continuity, effectively weaving together personal experiences, historical context, and social commentary to present a compelling argument for the need to rebuild the middle class and restore community values.

This e-only volume expands and updates the original 4-volume Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World (2011), offering a wide range of new entries and new multimedia content. The entries reflect such developments as the Arab Spring that brought women's issues in the Islamic world into sharp relief, the domination of female athletes among medal winners at the London 2012 Olympics, nine more women joining the ranks of democratically elected heads of state, and much more. The 475 articles in this e-only update (accompanied by photos and video clips) supplement the themes established in the original edition, providing a vibrant collection of entries dealing with contemporary women's issues around the world.