Theme

Please note that this year’s conference will be online.

The Dress in Context Research Centre is pleased to announce its fourth international conference. This year’s theme will be the role of dress in expressing culture, and its manifestation in fashion, history, literature, art, and other fields.

Dress has always been used to express who we are. The way we present ourselves, and how we are perceived by others, is to a large extent, created by the clothes we wear. Clothing also reinforces our internal self-awareness, such that we create a persona that allows us to navigate our social and psychological milieu. It is little wonder then that our sense of group awareness is also underpinned by the clothes we wear. Whether professionally, socially, or culturally, we gain a sense of belonging by dressing in a similar way to those we relate to. On a cultural level, this belonging aspect has political and societal implications that are worth exploring in some detail, and it is this that will be the focus of this year’s conference. 

Culturally, the clothes we wear establish our affiliations, whether our ethnicity, our nationality, or in many cases, our religion: sometimes all three, since these identities are intertwined. For individuals, wearing the customary clothing of their homeland promotes a sense of identification, and becomes an integral part of their psyche. So much so, that when they are transposed to new contexts, whether through trade, migration, or other means, there is a tension between preserving their traditional dress and adapting it to new conditions.

Sadly, the very qualities that bolster identity and offer a sense of security, can also generate a negative response. The corollary of our desire for identification is the perceived pressure to conform, even when no external pressure has been exerted. That influence is so compelling that it is often exploited within the society by those seeking power. Dress, because of its cultural significance, will always provide a locus of control. No more so than when one cultural regime seeks power over another. The history of conquest and colonialism is littered with such instances. 

In our present climate, as migration grows, and diasporas disperse across the globe, we are seeing another aspect of this interplay. As communities spread, aspects of their dress become integrated into other societies, and influence their fashions. While elements of dress from various diasporas can be discerned in fashionable clothes, the growth of modest fashion is one of the most significant trends of recent years, and its influence has been seen in the recent  collections of designers such as Chanel, Dior, and Balenciaga. Fashion loves to mine other traditions, whether historically or geographically, for inspiration. This can bring new perspectives to their creativity. The problem lies when cultural appreciation becomes cultural appropriation, an issue that has become a source of much discord recently. The Gucci turban, for example, was withdrawn from retail, because of the outrage from Sikhs at what was deemed cultural insensitivity.

Dress then can be both socially cohesive and politically divisive. By bringing together a range of disciplines and approaches, the conference will explore its cultural significance  We invite submissions from any discipline for academic papers or posters that address the conference theme. Topics include, but are not restricted to:

• The role of dress in collective identity
• Dress as a signifier of ethnicity
• The role of dress in supporting a diaspora
• National costume
• The role of dress in social control
• Colonialism and its effect on traditional dress
• The influence of diasporic fashion
• Cultural appropriation vs cultural appreciation

Deadline for submission of abstracts extended to: 8 September 2023