An interdisciplinary conference for scholars at all stages of research.
30th November to 2nd December 2001
University of Kent at Canterbury
Representations of clothing are frequent in the art and literature of 1300 – 1600, but contemporary experiences of clothing are little investigated.
This interdisciplinary conference aims to explore ways of reconstructing the social practices of the past through investigations of the cultural significance of clothing.
Papers are invited from a broad range of theoretical perspectives which relate to the traditional disciplines of art history, textile and costume history, cultural history (social/political/economic), anthropology and literary studies. Synopses of c. 500 words are requested by the end of September 2001. Proposals and other offers of participation will be welcome from scholars at all stages of research. It is intended that this conference will generate a publishable volume.
Areas of investigation into process, experience and representation might include:
power and social status
order and social mobility
social and economic relations of production and consumption
buying and selling fabric and clothing stuff (shops)
ritual and ceremony
garments (under and over, old and new, best and worst)
symbolism and the representation of the body
display and concealment
proper and improper wearing
age and clothing
life-cycle (death, marriage)
self and person
Methods of analysis might include:
reading the tactile
reading the spatial implications
reconstructing the symbolic language
from text to textile
art and the visual language of clothing (folds, pleats, stitching, wear, material, colour etc.)
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