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The Dressed Society
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The Dressed Society
Clothing, the Body and Some Meanings of the World



January 2008 | 208 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
It was traditionally said that 'clothes maketh the man'. But what codes and meanings are associated with dress in a society that consists of divisions between class, race, gender, family status and religion? Is social and cultural life still fundamentally themed by the clothes that we wear? If so, how should we read these codes and themes in order to decipher their relation to power and meaning?

This exhaustive book demonstrates how dress shapes and is shaped by social processes and phenomena such as beauty, time, the body, the gift exchange, class, gender and religion. It does this through an analysis of topics like the Islamic clothing controversy in state schools, the multitude of identities associated with dress, the Dress Reform movement, the construction of the body in fashion magazines and the role of the internet in fashion. What emerges is a trenchant, sharply observed account of the place of dress in contemporary society.

The book will be of interest to students and researchers in Sociology, Cultural Studies, Women's Studies, Gender Studies, Anthropology and Fashion Studies.

 
Introduction
Dress in the Sensory World

 
 
The Dangers of Dress
Utopian Critiques

 
 
More than the Times of our Lives
Dress and Temporality

 
 
The Fabricated Body
A New History

 
 
Gift, Circulation and Exchange I
Clothing in the Family

 
 
Gift, Circulation and Exchange II
Clothing and Fashion in Cyberspsace

 
 
Conclusion
A Hermeneutics of Dress

 

In my view, The Dressed Society is an excellent, easy to follow and well-written contribution that should serve as a valuable introduction to undergraduates in sociology, cultural studies , anthropology and beyond... few could fail to find the book well researched, engaging and original.
Yves Laberge
Sociology


Few could fail to find the book well researched, engaging and original. In my view, The Dressed Society is an excellent, easy to follow and well-written contribution that should serve as a valuable introduction to undergraduates in sociology, cultural studies, anthropology and beyond.

Yves Laberge,
Associate fellow at the Groupe de recherche EA 1796, ACE, at the Université de Rennes 2, France

An excellent text which will work perfectly with level two and three students _ will introduce elements from some of the chapters at level one -

Ms Donna` Bevan
Journalism , Southampton Solent University
July 12, 2011

This is an excellent book, both historically and theoretically informed. The topic of fashion/dress is extremely popular with our students and this book is an essential read for those choosing to work in this area.

Dr Serena Bufton
School of Social Science & Law, Sheffield Hallam University
November 13, 2009

For instructors

Please contact your Academic Consultant to check inspection copy availability for your course.

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