Fashion and Society Quiz

Fashion's Anthropology

• Isaline Saunier is an archaeologist and social anthropologist
• The presentation explores fashion through an anthropological lens

What does fashion mean to you?

• This is a question posed to the audience to initiate discussion and personal reflection on the topic of fashion.

What is sociology/anthropology?

• Sociology is the study of how groups interact and social structures influence them. It focuses on collective and relational perspectives.
• Anthropology studies the human being, encompassing diversity in ways of life, focusing on individual and cultural differences/commonalities.
• Both disciplines study social productions and cultural worlds, differentiating primarily in research methods/tools used.

Sociologist's tools

• Questionnaires
• Surveys
• Observations (participant or not)
• Interviews
• Statistics

Anthropologist's tools

• Fieldwork, observing people and their environments
• Interviews
• Living with people
• Participant observation
• Information collection
• Comparisons with other social systems

Conducting an interview

• Gather subject-specific information, analyzing it alongside other data points.
• The interviewer seeks information, and the respondent provides it.
• Ideally, record interviews (audio/video) with clear consent.
• Take notes throughout the discussion
• Ensure respondent anonymity if desired
• Choose a quiet, serene interview location

Living with people

• A crucial anthropological research method

Participant observations

• A significant anthropological method

Collecting information

• The presentation details detailed, specific notes on clothing design dimensions and materials.
• These notes are likely a part of collecting data about the specific items. This is likely part of an ongoing, detailed research process.

Analyze, compare with other social systems

• Analysis and comparison of different social systems (e.g., images of clothing from various cultures, time periods, and societies – comparing and contrasting)

And what about fashion?

• Fashion can be studied within each specific social system's framework/perspective.
• Possible angles for this analysis include: food practices, gender, dance, human-animal relations, politics, ecology, religions

Generally speaking

• Studying fashion through the prism of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHS) aims to understand how fashion interacts within a specific social system

Costume typology: topography and chronology

• The presentation features various historical costume typologies and chronologies, including illustrations of different clothing styles and periods, likely to provide broader contexts for understanding fashion's evolution and cross-cultural exchanges.

Mongolian ethnic groups

• This section illustrates a diversity of clothing styles among distinct ethnic groups within Mongolia; likely, images are included to showcase visual distinctions tied to specific groups and geographical variations.

Chronological fashion evolution

• Images illustrating fashion trends across various decades (1860s-2010s) provide evidence of fashion's trajectory.

Founding texts

• These were foundational texts used to analyse fashion
• Veblen, Bell, Simmel, Barthes, and Bourdieu are mentioned

Historical figures

• Georg Simmel
• Thorstein Veblen
• Quentin Bell
• Roland Barthes
• Pierre Bourdieu and others
• Specific social scientists are likely cited within the presentation.
• This section probably includes a discussion of the contributions of specific scholars or theorists in the area of fashion studies.

Quotes and extracts

• Many theorists and thinkers are referenced.
• Includes quotes from different scholars.

Cultural appropriation

• Researchers have been studying "cultural transfer" since the 1980s
• Cultural objects (e.g., music, symbols, linguistic expressions, etc.) are the basis for the analysis.
• Interactions, exchanges, and influences between various cultures are important topics that the presenter considers

Examples of cultural transfer

• Examples provided of borrowing, hybridization, and cultural exchange across political/cultural contexts through fashion or symbolic/material expressions.

Cultural Appropriation Claims

• Cultural appropriation is studied in relation to the context of cultural claims of indigenous peoples.
• Appropriation takes a cultural symbol or object and gives a new meaning to it, often in the context of power dynamics

Fashion, Nation & Identity

• The presentation explores what a nation is and how it's defined.
• National symbols and emblems are investigated within the context of fashion.

Cultural Transfer in fashion

• Several processes are identified in the concept of “cultural transfer", including borrowing, imitation, hybridization, and appropriation.
• This part of the notes covers examples of these in fashion.

Personal & cultural fashion and identification

• How fashion reflects personal and cultural identity is addressed
• Historical events, social events, and political movements influencing fashion choices are detailed.
• This often involves how these things impact clothing style

Fashion and social class/exclusion

• Fashion's capacity to both include and exclude social groups and classes is examined, likely with specific examples of clothing items associated with particular classes
• Whether fashion can serve as a tool of social/cultural resistance is investigated

Defining "national fashion"

• The possibility of a "national fashion," despite globalization, is examined.

Pierre Bourdieu: Distinction

• Fashion serves as a marker of social class/power.
• National fashion distinguishes national groups by showcasing cultural/political characteristics
• This is likely the thesis of this segment of the presentation

Collective identity & resistance

• This part likely involves examples of apparel associated with resistance against cultural domination/colonialism, likely including images of people in particular historic attire.

Resistance to cultural domination

• Examples of cultural resistance through fashion

Gandhi, Mao, Kurdish Women

• These specific examples highlight relevant cultural contexts and clothing associated with social movements.

Fashion and Queerness

• Exploring the relationship between fashion and queer identities

Fashion and media

• Fashion's portrayal in media, emphasizing the construction of gendered representations (e.g., fashion advertisements, runway shows)
• The use of specific examples of fashion brands and imagery is included throughout

Veblen's Theory of Conspicuous Consumption

• Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption is presented.
• This segment likely examines the relationship between luxury brands (and clothing), social status, and gendered identity.

Gendered Clothing Practices

• This section likely explores gendered clothing practices and their reflection in individuals' tastes and attitudes, possibly drawing on Bourdieu’s ‘habitus’

Fashion Participation, According to Barthes

• Discusses fashion's role in constructing signs and attributing meanings to clothing styles

Fashion Diffusions

• This likely examines the spread or movement of styles from one cultural/social group to another, including relevant images

Classical Vebleno-Simmelian theory of the top-down of Society

• Examines the social status and power dynamics within the fashion industry.
• The theory of conspicuous consumption, as applied to fashion

Gothic Style and Punk Style

• Images of Gothic and punk style fashion are likely included.

Horizontal or Lateral

• This topic likely discusses the lateral or horizontal spread of fashion trends

Modest Fashion, Ethical & Aesthetics

• Investigating the ethical and aesthetic aspects of modest fashion in different cultures.
• The presentation possibly includes an exploration of social values and norms relevant to these types of clothing.

Gender Studies

• A review of the history and relevant theories behind gender studies.
• A brief overview of concepts (social construction, gender roles, and representations).

Gender Fluidity

• Fashion explorations or theoretical discussions about gender fluidity in fashion.

Materials

• Defining constraints in anthropology/sociology
• How constraints of materials influence creative processes and innovations in design
• Discusses the impact of material scarcity on creative processes in fashion design.

Smart Textiles & Heritage

• Discusses the use of innovative materials and techniques, examining how this impacts the definition of traditional materials

Future of fashion

• Anticipating future trends in fashion and how they'll be connected with national identity