To Weave Or Not To Weave: Vernacular Textiles and Historical Change in Romania

This article discusses the historical and social change associated with textiles in a rural setting in central Romania. Using ethnographic fieldwork with the Horniman Museum’s folk textile collection, it considers the transformation of traditional weaving in the source community. It highlights that the local perceptions of traditional fabrics are embedded in the narratives of practice and personhood. Weavers’ stories provide insights on the craftswomen’s adjustment to major historical transformations and ideas of modernity and femininity. This perspective sheds light on local values beyond fixed folk styles and traditional designs.