
2013
Willems, C.
2015
Willems, C.
2016
Willems, C. Stassijns, G., Cornelis, W., and D’Aout, K.
2018
Willems, C.
2020
Willems, C. Savage, R., Curtis. R. and D’Aout. K.,
100% bag tanned: action research generating new insights on design processes. Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies, 27(5), Special Issue: Revisiting the ethnographic turn in contemporary art, 474-489. Citations: 8 (Google Scholar); WoS IF 2019: 0.204. [This article discusses two examples of my experimentation with design and anthropology using action research as a method, combining observations and engagement through making. I describe the use of action research on handmade footwear in two communities in India, to better understand the design process in its context.]
Nuvttohat, perfect for feet. Shoe design as cultural heritage, Volkskunde, p. 371- 382. WoS A&H Index. [Saami reindeer boots, nuvttohat, are part of traditional cultural expressions, seen from the point of the Saami as indigenous people. I raise questions on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and the protection of traditional cultural expressions, based on my fieldwork data.]
Biomechanical implications of walking with indigenous footwear, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 162(4), 782-793. Citations: 15 (Google Scholar); WoS IF: 2.414. 2019 Journal Citation Reports: 14/91 (Anthropology). [This study investigates biomechanical implications of walking with indigenous Kolhapuri footwear comparedto barefoot walking among a population of South Indians. Walking in Kolhapuri resembles barefoot gait and might be considered ‘minimal’. Primary author, based on my fieldwork data.]
Feet and how to shoe them. In: Willems, C. and Roelandt, E. (Eds.), Do you want your feet back? Barefoot cobblers (pp. 26-56). Ghent: APE.
[The chapter gives an overview of my long- lasting work with cobblers. I co-edited the book, with chapters written by experts in the field of biomechanics and anthropology.]
Plantar pressures in three types of indigenous footwear, minimal shoes, and Western shoes, compared to barefoot walking. Footwear Science, Published online: 13/10/2020. 1-17. [This study assesses whether indigenous footwear can be considered ‘minimal’ by analyzing spatial and temporal aspects of plantar pressure distribution. In combination with previous research on the Kolhapuri footwear, we conclude that the indigenous footwear and commercial minimal shoes, can all be considered ‘minimal footwear’, but with some differences to barefoot walking.]