About

"This research will examine the often-overlooked role of textile-based craft – such as knitting, sewing, and fabric printing – within British lesbian activism and community-building between 1963-2003. Lesbian history is underrepresented in LGBTQ+ historical research, often secondary to gay male experiences; this is even more true in relation to textile-based craft, which has traditionally been valued as lesser than fine art or the written word. Yet crafted objects, as well as the processes behind them, were paramount in creating a recognisable lesbian visual and material culture in the late twentieth century. They helped to shape lesbian identity, fostered community, and drove political progress. 

The primary methodology of this research will be oral history interviews with lesbians who experienced this era: from the beginning of the Minorities Research Group (the first lesbian organisation in the UK) in 1963, to the repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales in 2003. This is an extensive period, with a wealth of diverse experiences. These must be recorded, or we risk losing them as participants reach later life. Object-based analysis will be employed alongside findings from interviews, with archival textile crafts such as banners and knitted jumpers offering material representations, acting in dynamic ways with people’s memories. Lesbian and feminist theorists, and well as scholars of marginalised craft histories, will offer critical perspectives and analytical frameworks. The ultimate goal of this research is to gather and interpret stories of lesbian craft in Britain, and to present a period in lesbian history through the original lens of its craft culture. This will allow future researchers, and lesbians looking for themselves in the past, to examine and learn from these histories, creating new work in turn."