‘Femealogies’ of day-to-day practice

embodied reflections about embrodery and its epistemological possibilities

Abstract

To embroider, to weave, have been considered feminine practices and, therefore, have been systematically invisibilized, ignored, and underestimated. Nevertheless, some occidental and latinamerican’s founding myths show that these two expressions offer a discursive potentiality that goes beyond spoken and written words, so masculine and markedly male. Draw from Tzkat-Red de Sanadoras Ancestrales de Guatemala’s proposal to recover the ‘femealogies’ that name and validate ancestor’s day-to-day labours, epistemological possibilities and processes of knowledge production of embrodery and weave are explored.

This article is the result of a large process of personal analysis concerning mi own day-to-day embrodery practice in the middle of a global pandemia that confined us into our houses, and forced us to combine our public and private obligations (work, education, some cares) in intra-familiar ways.  Throughout these pages, I tried to embody mi own experience as a single mother, as a working woman and as a principal caretaker of two children, and with a huge need to keep saying beyond written and day-to-day working’ word.