We are inviting contributions for a new book publication at ArtEZ Press, with the working title: Practicing Solidarity: Critical Fashion and Agency that Matters.
 

Introduction

In 2020 the ArtEZ Fashion Professorship initiated new research projects on solidarity in fashion, ‘Solidarity in Fashion’ and ‘Practicing Solidarity’. These research projects also informed the central theme of the conference ‘Ways of Caring - Practicing Solidarity’, organized by State of Fashion and ArtEZ University of the Arts. 

The research projects of the ArtEZ Fashion Professorship brought together a broad range of critical fashion practitioners through various interventions, work sessions and meetings. We will expand and open up our conversations during the conference and are now developing a new book publication at ArtEZ Press. We would like to invite you to join!
 

Central theme and subthemes

In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, we’ve heard many calls for solidarity, a more solidary fashion industry, and more solidary practices of making and wearing. Yet, what are solidary ways of making, wearing and doing fashion? What does practicing solidarity actually mean? What or whom do we need to be solidary with? What does it mean to be solidary with each other, with non-human beings, or with the earth, for example? How should we learn to do so? What should we unlearn? And how can we create the conditions to perform solidary behavior on the long term?

The research projects and conference started from a critique on the non-solidary strategies inherent to the contemporary neo-liberal, market-driven society and consumer culture, and subsequently the dominant industrial fashion system. The Covid-19 pandemic again shed light on the limitations and untenability of the industry’s operations. It had – once more – revealed its non-solidary strategies of disconnection, exploitation, alienation, non-transparency, mass-production and -consumption, exclusivity, and its systemic intersectional inequalities. At the same time, the pandemic has shown the urgency of practicing more care for others, like other human beings, living beings, or more care for the matter and materials that we live with. In this sense, the pandemic reinforced our sense of being interconnected and interdependent, which underlines that we must go beyond individualistic thinking and towards collective action.

Based on these questions, the new publication is open for contributions that address themes such as: 

- solidary forms of exchange and sharing

- solidary practices of making and/or wearing

- solidary education and (un)learning practices

- solidarity economies and practices of commoning

- collective making-with…

- embodiment and agency

- affect and empathy

- interspecies solidarity 

- intersectional solidarity
 

Please note that these themes are included as indications and suggestions. The publication is not necessarily limited to the themes mentioned above.
 

Call for Contributions

For the new book publication at ArtEZ Press we invite contributions:

- that present diverse perspectives on practices that explore the themes mentioned above;

- in any form. We welcome a wide variety of different academic and non-academic forms, for instance, poetry, interviews, personal or theoretical essays, fiction, photography, collages, illustrations, short academic articles etc. 

- in case of textual contributions: word count should be max 2000 words. In case of visual contributions: a selection of images for a max of 5 pages and a word count of max 300 words to support the visuals.

After the book is published, we aim to elaborate on the dialogue started in the book on the online platform APRIA – the ArtEZ Platform for Research Interventions of the Arts, which also opens up more opportunities for multimedia reflections.

Selection process

All proposals will go through a review and selection process, where the proposals will be evaluated along the following criteria: 

1. Relevance for the themes mentioned above: a connection to the topic and subtopics.

2. Accessibility for an audience reach beyond the context of academia. 

3. Engagement and active interaction with the reader/viewer; inviting them to take action, to activate the perspective. 

4. Intersectionality: we follow Kimberlé Crenshaw in recognizing that various forms of inequality and marginalization – related to social identity and in terms of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc. – often intersect and operate together, and thus must be taken into account together in its complexities. We value proposals that acknowledge that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression and we must consider everything and anything that can marginalize people.

5. Relation to fashion (in its many forms) and/or practices of making and wearing clothes.
 

We welcome diverse voices and perspectives and seek to prioritize proposals that touch on underrepresented and underserved communities.
 

Selection will be carefully made by:

(1) representatives of the research projects of the Fashion Professorship:

- Danielle Bruggeman

- Zinzi de Brouwer

- Andrea Chehade Barroux 

(2) external reviewers:

- Aïcha Abbadi

- Alex Esculapio 

(3) an ArtEZ student:

- Tjerre Bijker

How to submit your proposal 

We invite proposals for your contribution to the book publication at ArtEZ Press. All proposals should include:

- A title and word count of max 300 words, written in English (or should be able to be copied for translation purposes);

- Optional: max 3 visuals to illustrate your proposed contribution;

- Please add 3-5 keywords to specific the relation to the core theme of the publications;

- Short bio (max 150 words);

- Your contact information (name, email address and phone numbers);

- If you are a BA, MA or PhD student, please indicate this.
 

Please submit your proposals to: practicingsolidarity@artez.nl 
 

What do we offer

We can offer contributors a fee of 100,- euros and/or a number of copies for self-organized distribution.
 

Important dates

- All proposals should be submitted on October 1, 2022 at the latest

- The selection committee will communicate which proposals may be further developed for the publications early November, 2022

- Full contributions should be submitted on January 9, 2023 at the latest
 

We are looking forward to your proposals!
 

On behalf of the ArtEZ Fashion Professorship