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Clothing is not just an expression of personal taste but signals membership in social groups, denoting the wearer's gender, class, age, ethnicity, sexuality, institutional affiliation, etc. It has thus played a highly visible role in a number of social, political, and cultural conflicts from debates about sumptuary laws in colonial times and the role of homespun in the American Revolution to feminist attempts at dress reform, Zoot Suit riots, the adoption of blue jeans as countercultural 'uniform' in the 1960s, and the African-inspired sartorial styles of the Black Liberation movement, to the recent (re-)establishment of dress codes in U.S. American schools as well as the National Basketball Association. Focusing on such conflicts, we will discuss the function of garments as indicators of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, social status, national and other identities, and examine processes of social and cultural transformation highlighted by new fashions and styles. Requirements for credit include participation in a group presentation as well as class discussions. Recommended Reading: Barbara Burman and Carole Turbin, "Introduction," Material Strategies: Dress and Gender in Historical Perspective (London: Blackwell, 2003; available in a folder in the library). |
