by Karen Tranberg Hansen (Editor)
Dress and fashion practices in Africa and the diaspora are dynamic and diverse, whether on the street or on the fashion runway. Focusing on the dressed body as a performance site, African Dress explores how ideas and practices of dress contest or legitimize existing power structures through expressions of individual identity and the cultural and political order. Drawing on innovative, interdisciplinary research by established and up and coming scholars, the book examines real life projects and social transformations that are deeply political, revolving around individual and public goals of dignity, respect, status, and morality. With its remarkable scope, this book will attract students and scholars of fashion and dress, material culture and consumption, performance studies, and art history in relation to Africa and on a global scale.
Format: Illustrated
Pages: 272
Edition: Illustrated
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: 28 Feb 2013
ISBN 10: 0857853813
ISBN 13: 9780857853813
Book Overview: Through a broad range of case studies based on pioneering research, African Dress explores key themes of fashion, the body, performance and identity. It is the first scholarly yet accessible overview of African fashion and dress practices.