Call for Submissions
CAA 100th Annual Conference, February 22-25, 2012
Los Angeles, California
Co-organizers: Consuelo Gutierrez and Ian McDermott
Deconstructing Costume Histories: Re-Reading Identities in Fashion Collections and Exhibitions
Theorists from Veblen to Simmel have argued that fashion originates from the styles of the elite, which drive sartorial representation within a given society. This session will look at fashion collections and exhibitions in museums and examine how collecting practices and curatorial decisions influence the study of the history of fashion with respect to the representation of minorities and the working class. Do these collections or exhibitions construct a homogeneous identity based on the lifestyle and experience of the leisure class? Have the fashions and styles in museums, magazines, and fashion shows become the foundation of a collective memory and history of fashion that is inherently non-inclusive? This panel invites papers discussing the diversity of costume and dress as experienced by minority, ethnic, and underprivileged economic groups and the representation of gender, race, and class in fashion collections and exhibitions. The panel also welcomes the examination of appropriation, nationalism, multiculturalism, colonialism/post-colonialism, subcultures, street fashion, and other related topics in light of fashion collections and exhibitions.
Please send completed submission form, a one to two page double-spaced abstract, a letter explaining the speaker’s interest and expertise in the topic, a current CV, and a sample of your work if relevant by May 20, 2011 to both organizers:
Consuelo Gutierrez: cg_information@yahoo.com
Ian McDermott: ian.mcdermott@artstor.org