Clothing : a global history : or, The imperialists' new clothes / Robert Ross.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ross, Robert, 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Clothing and dress--History.

Clothing and dress.

History.

Clothing and dress--Social aspects.

Clothing and dress--Symbolic aspects.

Clothing and dress--Political aspects.

Clothing and dress--Western countries.

Western countries.

Physical Description:

221 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Clothing

Imperialists' new clothes

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity, 2008.

Summary:

In virtually all the countries of the world, men, and to a lesser extent women, are today dressed in very similar clothing. This book gives a compelling account and analysis of the process by which this has come about. At the same time it takes seriously those places where, for whatever reason, this process has not occurred, or has been reversed, and provides explanations for these developments.

The first part of this story recounts how the cultural, political and economic power of Europe, and from the later nineteenth century North America, has provided an impetus for the adoption of whatever was at that time standard Western dress. Set against this, Robert Ross shows how the adoption, or rejection, of European style dress has always been a political act. Such alignments were performed most frequently in order to claim equality with colonial masters, more often an option for men, or to stress distinction from them, which was more common for women, perhaps under male duress.

The book brings a refreshing global perspective to its subject, with all continents and many countries being discussed. It investigates not merely the symbolic and message-bearing aspects of clothing, but also practical matters of production and, equally importantly, distribution.

Contents:

2 The Rules of Dress 12

3 Redressing the Old World 26

4 First Colonialisms 38

5 The Production, Care and Distribution of Clothing 53

6 The Export of Europe 69

7 Reclothed in Rightful Minds: Christian Missions and Clothing 83

8 Re-forming the Body; Reforming the Mind 103

9 The Clothing of Colonial Nationalism 119

10 The Emancipation of Dress 139

11 Engendered Acceptance and Rejection 154.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [173]-212) and index.

ISBN:

9780745631868

074563186X

0745631878

9780745631875

OCLC:

191245311