The cowrie shell in African fashion a symbol of everyday resistance Joelle Firzli ; edited by Joseph H. Hancock II

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Firzli, Joelle, author.

Contributor:

Hancock II, Joseph H., editor.

Series:

Fashion and Personal Style Studies (Lived Places Publishing)

Fashion and Personal Style Studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fashion--Africa.

Fashion.

Africans--Clothing.

Africans.

Decolonization--Africa.

Decolonization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

First edition

Place of Publication:

New York, N.Y. : Lived Places Publishing 2026

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Tracing the cowrie shell from its's origin in the Maldives to the coast of West Africa, author Joelle Firzli examines how the shell's purpose transitioned from ornament to currency, and a symbol of identity formation through spirituality and adornment. Inspiring European fashion designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent and Azzedinee Alaia The Cowrie Shell in African Fashion marks a shift in the shell's cultural value and usage outside Africa. Subsequently reclaiming the shell and deviating from historical European appropriations, discover how African designers now use it to craft narratives that express joy, triumph, and perseverance embodying a profound connection to culture and memory in postcolonial Africa. Highlighting how an object can act as a catalyst for change and symbol of resistance in African fashion, this book is ideal reading for students of Fashion and Personal Style Studies, Fashion Design, Design Studies, Museum and Curation Studies, History, African Studies, Postcolonial Studies, and Cultural Anthropology

Contents:

Cover

Half-Title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgments

Abstract

Table of Contents

Introduction

Learning objectives

1 Tracing the cowrie: Origins, trade, and transformation

Archaeological context, etymology, and beyond

Extraction and processing

Early trade networks and distribution

Cowrie circulation in China

Thailand and Southeast Asian networks

The Trans-Oceanic journey to Africa

Arrival in West Africa

Conclusion

2 The materiality of meaning: Ritual, symbolism, and adornment

Early application

Divination and worship

Amuletic and funerary functions

Adornment

Fertility and prosperity

Status and authority

Music and musical performance

Cowrie shells as markers of musical status and authority

Dance and ritual performance

Cowrie imitations

Conclusion and final reflection

3 The cowrie economy: Value, exchange, and the machinery of enslavement

Indigenous cosmologies of cowrie money

Material properties and global context

Cowrie shells as currency in West Africa

Counting systems and regional variation

Geographic expansion and regional adoption

Cowrie shells and the Atlantic slave trade

European commercial networks and global circulation

The fall of cowrie currency

Contemporary legacy

Cowrie shells as economic objects: Theoretical considerations

Conclusion and reflection

4 Out of Africa: Power, profit, and African aesthetics in Western fashion

Definition

Historical phases: Two registers of engagement

Artistic engagement: Dutch Golden Age still life

Early fashion integration: Post-war American sportswear (1947)

European couture: Pioneering designers

Contemporary appropriation: Illustrative cases

The Boho-Chic aesthetic

Framework for ethical cultural exchange

5 Reclaiming the cowrie: African design sovereignty and cultural futurity

Fashion as cultural practice and resistance

The Materiality of memory: Cowries as mnemonic objects

Lafalaise Dion: Cultural preservation, spiritual reclamation, and artistic practice

The case of Beyoncé's "Black Is King" (2020): Collaborative appreciation

I.AM.ISIGO by Bubu Ogisi: Decolonization and protective aesthetics

Aajiya by Maimuna Cole: Pattern, print, and historical reclamation

Labrum London by Foday Dumbuya: Diaspora, memory, and ethical production

Grace Wales Bonner: Intellectual fashion and Afro-Atlantic histories

Denim Tears by Tremaine Emory: Cowries, cotton, and the black radical tradition

Simone Leigh: Cowries as monumental testimony

Fashion as memory

The case of Associate Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

Conclusion: The cowrie shell's enduring legacy

A final reflection

Notes

Expanding the conversation

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description based on Publisher's website, viewed June 05, 2026

Other Format:

Print version The cowrie shell in African fashion : a symbol of everyday resistance.

ISBN:

9781916985520

9781916985537

OCLC:

1593057303

Publisher Number:

10.62859/9781916985537 DOI