The Anthropology of Fashion

Description

Undergraduate Module Content   Fashion and textiles operate at the intersection of persons and society, and are the primary cultural signifiers of what sorts of people, individuals consider themselves to be. Fashion goods are the primary points of debates about unfolding values, aspirations, hierarchies, objections, new technologies, and ways of socialising. Fashion goods are essentially points of social friction and lubrication where persons and cultural contexts meet, confront, mingle, engage, and mutually create one another.   The Module in Fashion Anthropology will equip students to understand the societal impact of emerging new technologies and new materials in the production and retailing of textile and fashion with an emphasis on modelling societal take-up via the unique method of anthropology, which provides a depth of focus on the human life cycle and unfolding biographical relations across many cultures.   The module aims to build the capacity to think critically about the implications of the materials revolution in the textile industry, develop a particular methodology for providing insights into fashion, and develop the skills to act in anthropological, social and cultural roles within this area.   Learning Outcomes Students enrolled in this module will Know and critically understand the well-established principles of the field of the anthropology of fashion, including the areas of clothing and cloth, and of the way in which those principles have developed. Develop an ability to apply underlying concepts and principles in the interconnection between the places where clothing is worn, the sites where it is imagined and developed, and the sites of social commentary (eg. Blogging). Know of main methods of enquiry in the field of the anthropology of fashion. They will build an in-depth knowledge and experience of one approach, and be able to locate the uses and disadvantages of a range of comparable empirical approaches in relation to that one. Be able to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of fashion anthropology. Understand the limits of contemporary cultural knowledge of fashion, and how this influences analyses and interpretations which might be based on that knowledge. In this field, they will gain an appreciation both of the problematic space between the fashion industry and consumption, and also the problematic temporal conditions of fashion existing on the cusp of pasts and futures.     Delivery Method   One 2 hour lecture and one 1 hour tutorial per week Please note the assessment titles may be subject to change.   Postgraduate Module Content Fashion and textiles operate at the intersection of persons and society, and are the primary cultural signifiers of what sorts of people, individuals consider themselves to be. Fashion goods are the primary points of debates about unfolding values, aspirations, hierarchies, objections, new technologies, and ways of socialising. Fashion goods are essentially points of social friction and lubrication where persons and cultural contexts meet, confront, mingle, engage, and mutually create one another.   The Module in Fashion Anthropology will equip students to understand the societal impact of emerging new technologies and new materials in the production and retailing of textile and fashion with an emphasis on modelling societal take-up via the unique method of anthropology, which provides a depth of focus on the human life cycle and unfolding biographical relations across many cultures.   The module aims to build the capacity to think critically about the implications of the materials revolution in the textile industry, develop a particular methodology for providing insights into fashion, and develop the skills to act in anthropological, social and cultural roles within this area.     Learning Outcomes Students successfully completing this module will have demonstrated: That they know and systematically understand the problems, issues and insights within the contemporary field of the anthropology of fashion, including the areas of clothing and cloth, and of the way in which those critical issues have developed and are developing. Develop an ability to apply underlying concepts and principles in the interconnection between the places where clothing is worn, the sites where it is imagined and developed, and the sites of social commentary (eg. Blogging). Know of main techniques of enquiry into the field of the anthropology of fashion. They will be able to locate the uses and disadvantages of a range of comparable critical and empirical approaches for thinking about contemporary fashion. Be able to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of fashion anthropology. Understand the limits of contemporary cultural knowledge of fashion, and how this influences analyses and interpretations which might be based on that kno