Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (March 10 - April 4):
Jennifer Huang’s dissertation proposal, entitled “Looping the Strands: Text/ile Tactics and the Politics of Everyday Life,” concerns looping as a textile practice, such as in embroidery and lacemaking, as well as a recurring theme in speculative literature. Huang considers the movement of looping – of selectively picking up the past into the present, as a way of bringing forth alternative ways of living. Looping is a tactic that challenges and unravels the dominant narratives that maintain systems of capitalism and imperialism. The GRI Fellowship in Shanghai enables her to further develop the first half of her dissertation, as it focuses on histories of early lacemaking industries in China. Needle lacemaking traditions, first brought into China by European missionaries and capitalists in the mid to late 19th century, share a strong resemblance to Chinese needle-loop embroidery techniques that date back to the 12th century. Their similarities have been written about in Chinese academic journals, but there is still not much scholarship on this subject available in English. As it currently stands, textile historians have noted that this area is shrouded in “extreme secrecy,” as many of the handmade lace coming out of China was and still is sold as made in Ireland, Belgium, or Italy. Huang is interested in these gaps within textile histories, and her dissertation will hopefully provide a different lens with which to understand needlework in China.