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Hair is a part of the body humans have styled – cut, combed, braided, augmented, removed – to signal membership in a particular social group, as well as personal aesthetic preferences, throughout recorded history. Hairstyles thus communicate a range of social and cultural messages. They can be understood as instances of "gender performance;" at the same time, they tend to be salient elements in constructions of 'race' and ethnicity. Hair is thus eminently political: protest movements such as the Black Panthers, the Hippies and others expressed their opposition to entrenched hierarchies in part visually through their hairstyles.
In this course, we will discuss the significance of hair for constructions of gender, 'race,' age, class, and other social hierarchies. Specifically, we will analyze conflicts around particular hair issues in order to see how they reflect processes of social and cultural change.
In order to obtain credit for this course, you have to participate regularly (at least 75 % of the time), contribute to class discussions, and present a specific topic as part of a group of students. There is no Agnes or email registration for this course. Just show up for the first session. |
