| Clothing as Material Culture Contributor(s): Küchler, Susanne (Editor), Miller, Daniel (Editor), Küchler, Susanne |
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ISBN: 1845200667 ISBN-13: 9781845200664 Publisher: Berg Publishers OUR PRICE: $158.40 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: May 2005 Annotation: In recent years, there has been a spate of books theorizing fashion. Few, however, take on board the artefactual nature of cloth. In contrast, costume historians have looked closely at garments, but have shown less concern with how clothing is informed by social structures. This book fills a major gap by combining these two "camps" through an expressly material culture approach to clothing. In sustained case studies, Kü chler and Miller argue that cloth and clothing are living, vibrant parts of culture and the body. From the recycling of cloth in Africa and India and the use of pattern in the Pacific, to the history of "wash and wear" and why women wear the wrong clothes to restaurants, this book shows the considerable advantage gained by seamlessly combining material and social aspects of dress and textiles. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Anthropology - General - Design | Fashion & Accessories - Health & Fitness | Beauty & Grooming - General |
| Dewey: 391 |
| LCCN: 2004030414 |
| Physical Information: 0.5" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.03 lbs) 208 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book puts the material back into clothing. In recent years social scientists have become increasingly interested in theories of fashion, but have rarely directly addressed the material qualities of clothing. By contrast, traditional studies of dress have focused on textiles but often neglect the larger cultural context within which dress becomes consumed as clothing. This book fills a major gap by combining these two 'camps' through an expressly material culture approach to clothing. In sustained case studies, Kchler and Miller argue that cloth and clothing are living, vibrant parts of culture and the body. From the recycling of cloth in Africa and India and the use of pattern in the Pacific, to the history of 'wash and wear' and why women wear the wrong clothes to restaurants in London, this book shows the considerable advantage gained by seamlessly combining material and social aspects of dress and textiles. |
Contributor Bio(s): Kuchler, Susanne: - Susanne Kuechler is Professor in Anthropology and Material Culture at University College London, UK. She has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Papua New Guinea and Eastern Polynesia over the past 25 years, studying creativity, innovation and futurity in political economies of knowledge from a comparative perspective. Working from within material culture studies, her work is ethnographic in orientation and is influenced by a close reading of German and French writing on epistemology and the culture of things.Kuchler, Susanne: - Susanne Kuechler is Professor in Anthropology and Material Culture at University College London, UK. She has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Papua New Guinea and Eastern Polynesia over the past 25 years, studying creativity, innovation and futurity in political economies of knowledge from a comparative perspective. Working from within material culture studies, her work is ethnographic in orientation and is influenced by a close reading of German and French writing on epistemology and the culture of things.Miller, Daniel: - Daniel Miller Professor of Anthropology, University College London. Recent books include "A Theory of Shopping," "The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach" (with Don Slater) and Ed. "Car Cultures." |