34. Decolonising Lace: Histories, Materials, Motifs and Making
Lace has long held a privileged place in European art, fashion and decorative art histories (Browne 2004; Earnshaw, 1991; Levey 1983). Yet its histories are deeply tied to colonialism, global trade, migration, labour and the movement of materials, motifs, techniques and industrial technology. Despite growing interest in decolonising museums and art history, lace has rarely been examined through frameworks that question long-held Eurocentric narratives of origin, value, authorship and cultural authority.
This session invites papers that reconsider lace through decolonial and transnational perspectives. While traditional histories focus on needle and bobbin lace to the exclusion of all other openwork techniques, we seek to expand the definition of lace and situate it within global histories of making, exchange and cultural identity. Additionally, we seek contributions on the global networks through which lace techniques have been produced, exchanged, appropriated, adapted and reimagined. We particularly welcome research at the intersection of lace and empire, diaspora, gender, race, craft knowledge and material culture.
Possible themes include:
● Colonial trade and the circulation of lace, textiles and motifs
● Lace and empire
● Indigenous and non-European lacemaking traditions
● Cross-cultural exchange, hybridity and transcultural design
● Labour, gender and hidden histories of lace production
● Lace within fashion, dress and textile histories
● Contemporary artistic practices challenging colonial narratives through lace
● Digital archives, heritage and new methodologies for studying lace
● Diasporic perspectives on lace and ornament
We invite scholars and researchers from a broad cross-section, including museum professionals and those adopting interdisciplinary and artistic approaches.
Themes: Lace, Decolonising, Making
Lead Convenor: Uthra Rajgopal, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
Co-convenors: Elena Kanagy-Loux, Bard Graduate Center, New York, USA
To submit a Paper to this Session, please follow the guidance on our website and complete the AAH 2027 Call for Papers Proposal Submission Form.