Hinda Mandell Headshot

Hinda Mandell

Professor

School of Communication
College of Liberal Arts

Office Location

Hinda Mandell

Professor

School of Communication
College of Liberal Arts

Education

BA, Brandeis University; MA, Harvard University; Ph.D., Syracuse University

Bio

Hinda Mandell is professor in the School of Communication at RIT, where she was the director of the university’s journalism program from 2020-2024. She is passionate about prioritizing a DIY, materials-based approach, including handstitching, handwork and zine-production, as a thought tool in the university classroom. 

Mandell is editor of the forthcoming book “Global Craftivism since the Pussyhats: Handcraft Responses to Violence, War, Illness and Isolation” (with Rowman & Littlefield in 2025). She is also under contract for an upcoming book with Rowman & Littlefield, Crafting Choice: Abortion Politics and Handwork in the U.S. She’s been interviewed by The New York Times and The Associated Press, among other global outlets, on the importance of making objects by hand. 

Mandell is editor of “Crafting Dissent: Handicraft as Protest from the American Revolution to the Pussyhats” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019); co-curator and co-editor of “Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism” a 7-venue exhibition concept and book (RIT Press, 2019); a co-editor of “Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Gender and Race in the 2016 US Presidential Election” (University of Rochester Press, 2018); author of “Sex Scandals, Gender and Power in Contemporary American Politics” (Praeger, 2017); and co-editor of “Scandal in a Digital Age” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).

In 2025, she was selected as a visiting professor at University of Paris – Est Creteil to deliver a series of lectures and workshops on artistic based research; exhibition curation; teaching on craftivism; and craft as free expression. She has also taught handstitching workshops at museums and nonprofit spaces throughout the Northeast.

As a journalist, her work has been published in Politico, The Boston Globe, where she worked as a correspondent from 2008-2012; The Chicago Tribune, The LA Times, Palm Beach Post, Star-Tribune, Star-Ledger, among others. An avid DIY’er who loves to unleash creativity in others, Mandell is a founder of her university’s annual Zine Fest. Her scholarly inquiries into collaborative handcraft as change-agents have been published in Craft Research, the Journal of Urban Cultural Studies, and the Journal of Feminist Scholarship. She is on the international advisory board of the Journal of Art & Communities and on the editorial board the International Journal of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles. Her research has been funded by the Center for Craft and Fiber Art Now. In 2020 she was a guest artist with Visual Studies Workshop, whose residency funded the production of her artist book, “The Yarn Must Live: A Polemic on a Pandemic and Public Art,” which was acquired by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2021. Since 2017, she has organized maker interventions on issues of social reform tied to geographic place reaching nearly 3,000 craft participants.

She is on Instagram: @crochetact


Areas of Expertise

Select Scholarship

Invited Keynote/Presentation
Mandell, Hinda. "Craft, Protest and Feminism: Disruptors Yesterday and Today." Invited talk, Zoom event. Carpenter's Hall and National Liberty Museum. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 2 Feb. 2022. Address.
Mandell, Hinda. "Invited panelist." The Douglass Women: Another Look at Anna Murray and Rosetta. 540 West Main. Rochester, New York. 10 Feb. 2022. Address.
Mandell, Hinda. "Critical Crafting In and Beyond Humanities Classrooms: 19th-Century Material Culture and 21st-Century Open Pedagogy." Crafting Communities Symposia. University of Manitoba, University of Alberta, and University of Victoria. Manitoba, Canada. 25 Feb. 2022. Address.
Mandell, Hinda. "Crafting Dissent, Crocheting Activism: Interactive Talk and Craft Workshop with Hinda Mandell." Convention Days 2022. Women's Rights National Historic Park. Seneca Falls, New York. 16 Jul. 2022. Address.
Mandell, Hinda. "Crafting Dissent Together Apart: A Legacy of Craft Action from a COVID Year." keynote talk as part of Dissent Made Material Symposium. George Mason's Gunston Hall. Lorton, Virginia. 18 Feb. 2021. Keynote Speech.
Journal Paper
Mandell, Hinda. "Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery (Sewing) Society: Handcraft as a Metaphorical tool for the Abolitionist Cause." Journal of Feminist Scholarship 20. 20 (2022): 49-66. Web.
Mandell, Hinda. "‘Monstrous’ Craft Activism: A City Yarn Installation that Wrought Controversy through Textile Togetherness and Community Engagement." Craft Research 12. 1 (2021): 31-50. Print.
Mandell, Hinda. "Handcraft as Urban Intervention: In Recognition of the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Sewing Society." Journal of Urban Cultural Studies 7. 2 and 3 (2020): 175-186. Print.
Mandell, Hinda and Meredith Davenport (photos). "Recreating and Reenvisioning Scandal: A Photographic Exploration of the Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner Press Conferences." Journal of Feminist Scholarship. Spring 2018 (2018): Online. Web.
Mandell, Hinda and Gina M. Chen. "Scandal-clad Politicians, Scorned Wives and Salacious News: Reaction to Contemporary Sex Scandals and Spousal Support in Times of Public Crisis." Interactions: Studies in communication and culture 7. 1 (2016): 85-98. Print.
Mandell, Hinda. "Political Wives, Scandal, and the Double Bind: Press Construction of Silda Spitzer and Jenny Sanford Through a Gendered Lens." Women's Studies in Communication 38. 1 (2015): 55-77. Print.
Martin, Kelly and Hinda Mandell. "Faces of Political Sex Scandal: Investigating Pathways to Penance, Remedy and Resolution through Iconic Scandal." Visual Communication Quarterly 21. 4 (2014): 236-247. Print.
Book Chapter
Mandell, Hinda. "Craft Activism, Violence and Memory-Making: Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh." Race, Gender, and Political Culture in the Trump Era: The Fascist Allure. Ed. Christine A. Kray and Uli Linke. Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: Routledge, 2021. 174-193. Print.
Mandell, Hinda. "Stigma, Shame, Sex Scandals, and Whiteness in Buffalo, New Yok." Gender, race, and social identity in American politics. Ed. Lori L. Montalbano. New York City, NY: Lexington Books, 2019. 43-58. Print.
Kray, Christine A, Tamar Carroll, and Hinda Mandell. "Introduction to Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Historical Reflections on the 2016 Presidential Election." Nasty women and bad hombres: Gender and race in the 2016 US presidential election. rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2018. 1-24. Print.
mandell, hinda. "Birthing Family: Narrative and Baby on Election Day." Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Gender and Race in the 2016 US Presidential Election. rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2018. 264-270. Print.
Carroll, Tamar W, Hinda Mandell, and Christine Kray. "Epilogue." Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Gender and Race in the 2016 US Presidential Election. rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2018. 337-350. Print.
Mandell, Hinda and Gina M. Chen. "Introduction: Scandal in the Age of Likes, Selfies, Retweets and Sexting." Scandal in a digital age. Ed. Hinda mandell and Gina M. Chen. NY, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 3-14. Print.
Chen, Gina M. and Hinda mandell. "Predicting a New Scandal Environment in the 21st Century." Scandal in a digital age. Ed. hinda mandell and Gina M. Chen. NY, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 209-216. Print.
Shows/Exhibits/Installations
Decker, Juilee and Hinda Mandell. Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism. n.d. Anthony Mascioli Gallery, The Sculpture Center, Bevier Gallery, and more, Rochester and Cleveland. Exhibit.
Decker, Juilee and Hinda Mandell. Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism. n.d. Anthony Mascioli Gallery, The Sculpture Center, Bevier Gallery, and more, Rochester and Cleveland. Exhibit.
Decker, Juilee and Hinda Mandell. Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism. n.d. Anthony Mascioli Gallery, The Sculpture Center, Bevier Gallery, and more, Rochester and Cleveland. Exhibit.
Decker, Juilee and Hinda Mandell. Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism. n.d. Anthony Mascioli Gallery, The Sculpture Center, Bevier Gallery, and more, Rochester and Cleveland. Exhibit.
Decker, Juilee and Hinda Mandell. Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism. n.d. Anthony Mascioli Gallery, The Sculpture Center, Bevier Gallery, and more, Rochester and Cleveland. Exhibit.
Full Length Book
Decker, Juilee and Hinda Mandell. Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism. Rochester, NY: RIT Press, 2019. Print.
Mandell, Hinda. Crafting Dissent: Handicraft as Protest from the American Revolution to the Pussyhats. New York City, NY: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019. Print.
Mandell, Christine A. Kray, Tamar W. Carroll, Hinda. Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Gender and Race in the 2016 US Presidential Election. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2018. Print.
Mandell, Hinda. Sex Scandals, Gender and Power in Contemporary American Politics. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2017. Print.
Mandell, Hinda and Gina M. Chen. Scandal in a digital age. NY, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. Print.

Currently Teaching

COMM-305
3 Credits
An in-depth study of the theories, practices, effects, and ethics of persuasion. Persuasion is defined as human communication designed to influence one’s beliefs, values, attitudes, and actions. This course examines persuasion from a receiver-oriented perspective with interpersonal, small group, organizational, and mediated perspectives.
COMM-343
3 Credits
Technology-mediated communication (TMC) was originally defined as a form of electronic written communication. As networking tools advanced, TMC expanded to include new software developments, such as instant messenger and the web. Today, the term technology-mediated communication is used to refer to a wide range of technologies that facilitate both human communication and the interactive sharing of information through computer networks. Through readings, discussions, and observations of online behavior, students will be introduced to TMC terms and theories to further develop their TMC communication and critical thinking skills.
COMM-390
3 Credits
This course is a history of visual activism from the 20th century to now. The course asks: how is activism represented and disseminated to engage audiences? How is the public sphere in the United States and abroad shaped by visual activist practices? What visual languages are used as forms of documentation, communication, persuasion, and creative expression in the service of social change? We examine a range of examples in their local and global contexts, including counter-culture photography and film, poster graphics, graffiti art, comics and political cartoons, social media, performance, urban interventions, installations, and new media.
COMM-599
1 - 12 Credits
A program of study executed by an individual student with assistance and guidance by an instructor, outside a classroom setting. Guidelines for designing and gaining approval for an independent study are provided in College of Liberal Arts Policy I.D.
ITDL-150
3 Credits
Climate change, racism, lack of accessibility, poverty, moral disagreement, civil conflict, access to water, and piracy are all examples of enduring human problems. This shell course allows students to explore a single “human problem” across disciplines, bringing together knowledge from liberal arts, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health, arts and design. Students will read transformative texts across a variety of disciplines and apply those texts to a single modern “human” problem in this project-based course. Students will pay particular attention to the social and ethical components within the texts, the problem, its causes, and proposed solutions. The possible problems are intentionally broad and reach across multiple disciplines. Students will be expected to apply their understanding to practice-based projects in interdisciplinary groups and then present their findings, demonstrating both the breadth and depth of their understanding, as well as their creativity. Throughout the semester and in each assignment, students will explore the ethical and social implications of the course topic, exploring the ways different disciplinary approaches assess and think about ethical and social problems and their possible solutions.
SOIS-299
1 - 4 Credits
Special topics are experimental courses offered per semester.
VISL-295
3 Credits
The course focuses on how traditionally feminine and domestic handcrafts have been thrust into the public sphere for social activist work in a highly visual manner. Students will examine, from both intellectual and practical perspectives, large-scale examples of craft activism both within the U.S. and internationally, focusing on the connections to political movements and how craft is made politically visual. The role of craft as an organizing force, typically enacted by women and gender minorities in situations of physical and personal vulnerability, will be investigated through readings centered on the historical ties of craft to activism and social reform in the U.S. For example, students will study the role of handwork in the Suffragist and Abolitionist movements and in the American Revolution with women’s use of “homespun” cloth. Attention will also be paid to the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in the late 20th century. Expanding beyond the U.S., the course will analyze how craft can transform into a narrative of personal or communal identity and an ethnicity-preserving tool through case studies such as those from Chile (Arpilleras), Laos (Hmong story cloths), Argentina (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo kerchiefs), India (Khadi cloth), England (Greenwich Commons Women’s Peace Camp and quilts), and Myanmar (street crochet for Democracy). Close attention will also be paid to the role of handcraft as a rallying force in organizing efforts relating to current issues such as reproductive justice, women’s rights, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate and environmental justice, and to how craft activist campaigns are organized and disseminated through social media. During the course, students will work at transforming a contemporary social issue they care about into the theme of their own final project to be unveiled by the end of the semester.
VISL-390
3 Credits
This course is a history of visual activism from the 20th century to now. The course asks: how is activism represented and disseminated to engage audiences? How is the public sphere in the United States and abroad shaped by visual activist practices? What visual languages are used as forms of documentation, communication, persuasion, and creative expression in the service of social change? We examine a range of examples in their local and global contexts, including counter-culture photography and film, poster graphics, graffiti art, comics and political cartoons, social media, performance, urban interventions, installations, and new media.
WGST-295
3 Credits
The course focuses on how traditionally feminine and domestic handcrafts have been thrust into the public sphere for social activist work in a highly visual manner. Students will examine, from both intellectual and practical perspectives, large-scale examples of craft activism both within the U.S. and internationally, focusing on the connections to political movements and how craft is made politically visual. The role of craft as an organizing force, typically enacted by women and gender minorities in situations of physical and personal vulnerability, will be investigated through readings centered on the historical ties of craft to activism and social reform in the U.S. For example, students will study the role of handwork in the Suffragist and Abolitionist movements and in the American Revolution with women’s use of “homespun” cloth. Attention will also be paid to the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in the late 20th century. Expanding beyond the U.S., the course will analyze how craft can transform into a narrative of personal or communal identity and an ethnicity-preserving tool through case studies such as those from Chile (Arpilleras), Laos (Hmong story cloths), Argentina (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo kerchiefs), India (Khadi cloth), England (Greenwich Commons Women’s Peace Camp and quilts), and Myanmar (street crochet for Democracy). Close attention will also be paid to the role of handcraft as a rallying force in organizing efforts relating to current issues such as reproductive justice, women’s rights, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate and environmental justice, and to how craft activist campaigns are organized and disseminated through social media. During the course, students will work at transforming a contemporary social issue they care about into the theme of their own final project to be unveiled by the end of the semester.

In the News

  • July 3, 2024

    an illustration of a hand holding a small window looking out on to a field.

    The New York Times speaks with Hinda Mandell, professor in the School of Communication, about the joys and benefits of crafting, emphasizing how creating with your hands can enhance happiness, reduce stress, and foster a sense of identity and mastery.

  • December 6, 2023

    college student holding a small magazine up to her face as she peeks over the top of it.

    The RIT zine scene

    Zines—which are loosely defined as small-circulation, self-published mini-magazines—have long existed in alternative subcultures. In recent years, a growing number of RIT students, staff, and faculty across campus are using this unique medium to express themselves and communicate ideas.