Professor Ann Marie Leshkowich
Beaven 230
508-793-2788
aleshkow@holycross.edu
Office Hours: M 1pm-4pm; W 10am-10:45am, 1pm-2:30pm; F 1pm-2pm; other times by appointment

 

Course Description: Clothing is among the most visible and meaningful ways in which we express our identities. At the same time, our clothes are material items produced and consumed through an ever-expanding global fashion industry. This course will explore the various social, cultural, economic, political, and personal meanings associated with fashion and consumption. Combining anthropological and historical methods, we will focus on such questions as:

What role does fashion play in the construction of identity?
Why are fashion and consumption seen as feminine concerns?
What role has clothing played in political and cultural resistance movements?
How is clothing used to differentiate people, in both positive and negative ways?
What are the historical origins of consumer societies?
How has consumer capitalism become a global phenomenon? With what consequences?

Readings will include social theory about fashion and consumption (Bourdieu, Barthes, and Veblen) and ethnographies focusing on such topics as Muslim fashion around the world, street style blogging, used clothing in Zambia, punks in Britain, American feminists' critiques of the fashion and beauty industry, Asian chic, and the global popularity of denim. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between consumption of fashion and gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality.

 

Learning Objectives

Students completing this course exploring fashion and consumption through a sociocultural anthropological lens will understand:
1) The pitfalls of viewing diverse practices from a perspective that defines any one cultural worldview as the norm from which others are judged.
2) Cultural and structural explanations of human behavior as distinct, in particular, from psychological or individualistic explanations.
3) How we can understand broader economic, political, social, or cultural processes through detailed ethnographic studies of individuals' daily experiences.
4) The social, economic, and political dimensions of hierarchies based on such factors as race, gender, class, sexuality, ethnicity, age, religion, and geographical location.
5) Ways in which all communities are enmeshed in processes of globalization, particularly those related to the production, circulation, and consumption of fashion.

 

Class Meetings

The class meets three times per week. Most weeks, two of these periods will be used for lectures, with the additional meeting devoted to viewing films or class discussion. Students will be expected to attend all class meetings (attendance will be taken) and to complete the readings as scheduled on the syllabus. Throughout the semester, students will write brief response papers (2-3 pages) on an assigned topic. These will serve as the basis for group discussion.

 

Course Requirements

Course grades will be based on written work and class participation, broken down as follows:

1. Class Discussion, Participation, and Attendance (15%)

This course takes an active approach to learning; your presence and participation in class are essential to your success! You are required to attend all class meetings, including lectures, films, and discussion sessions. Participation consists of being alert and taking notes during lectures, asking questions to clarify points of misunderstanding, engaging actively in small-group activities, and contributing meaningfully to classroom discussions. Because involvement in class activities is so important, more than two unexcused absences during the semester will result in the lowering of your participation grade by one-half of a percentage point for each additional class missed.

2. Response papers (25%)

In preparation for discussion sections, you will be asked to submit short response papers on assigned topics. These papers require you to integrate what you have learned from lectures and readings, either by reflecting on them to develop your insights or by evaluating their methods by completing your own ethnographic research exercise. Nine papers are assigned, and you must complete five. At least two of the papers must be completed before the midterm. Each of the five assignments will be worth five points, for a total of 25% of your course grade. One extra paper can be completed, in which case the highest five grades will count as your total. Late papers will not be accepted. Papers are to be emailed to Prof. Leshkowich before class on the day indicated on the syllabus. Information on response paper grading standards is available here.

3. Midterm (18%)

An in-class midterm will be given on Wednesday, March 13. The midterm will consist of identification of key terms and concepts from the first half of the class (readings, lectures, and films), and an essay question.

4. Dress or Spending Diary and 3-5 page paper (12%)

By looking at fashion and consumption around the world, this course asks you to evaluate your own dress and spending practices. To help you to do this, one of the requirements of this class is to maintain a dress or spending diary for two weeks during the semester. The format and content of the diary are described in greater detail on the Writing Assignments Handout. Your diary and a 3-5 page essay evaluating it in light of an author studied during the semester should be emailed to Prof. Leshkowich by 5pm on Monday, May 6.

5. Final Exam (30%)

Like the midterm, the final exam will consist of essays and identification of key terms. There will be a total of two essays: one in response to a broad question synthesizing the major themes of the course and a second question focusing on the material covered after the midterm. The final exam date is currently scheduled to be held on Monday, May 13 from 8:00-10:30am in Beaven 125.

6. Extra Credit Opportunities

Holy Cross frequently hosts films, speakers, and cultural events related to fashion, consumption, globalization, and anthropology. These events will be noted on the syllabus as information becomes available. Students can earn extra credit by attending and then submitting by email a paragraph exploring an issue or two raised by the event as it relates to a topic or reading we've explored in class. Extra credit of .5 for each event write-up will be added to your response paper total, up to the maximum of 25 points.

 

Diversity and Inclusion

Our diversity is a strength that is critical to the educational mission of the College of the Holy Cross overall and to this class in particular. In joining this community, we have each committed to building an inclusive and respectful environment for all. Dimensions of diversity can include sex, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability, sexual orientation, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, cognitive style, and communication style. The individual intersection of these experiences and characteristics must be valued in our community.

If you encounter any barriers to your learning, please let me know immediately so that we can determine together what steps to take. These may include changing an aspect of the course design or accessing additional campus resources (Office of Disability Services, Title IX Coordinator, Office of Diversity and Inclusion). If you feel the need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (508-793-3693, Hogan 215A) to discuss support services available. If you are already registered with Disability Services, please be sure to deliver your accommodation letter to me in a timely fashion. I am always happy to consider creative solutions as long as they do not compromise the intent of the assessment or learning activity. I welcome feedback that will assist me in improving the usability and learning experience of this course for all students.

 

Academic Integrity

In coming to Holy Cross, students and faculty have joined an intellectual community dedicated to learning together through the open exchange of ideas. For us to feel comfortable sharing our perspectives, we need to be confident that our ideas will be respected as our own. All of us share responsibility for creating an environment conducive to open exchange by holding to principles of trust, integrity, and honesty. Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, and collusion, violates these fundamental principles. As a student, you are responsible for reading and knowing the College Policy on Academic Integrity, as stated in the College Catalog and available here: https://catalog.holycross.edu/node/1381#AHP. As your professor, I am available to help you understand this policy and to guide you in following appropriate methods of research and citation.

All written work for this course will be archived. All response papers for this class must be submitted in electronic form by email so that they may be permanently stored.

This class adheres to a zero tolerance policy for academic dishonesty. Any work that, upon investigation, is found to violate the college policy will receive a grade of zero and a report will be submitted to the College administration.

 

Electronic Devices

As outlined in the attendance policy above, the intellectual community that this class seeks to foster requires that you be an active participant and careful listener. Employed judiciously, technology can enhance our ability to learn interactively through having a wealth of knowledge and perspectives at our fingertips. Use of computers, tablets, and smartphones is therefore permitted in class, so long as such use facilitates the learning objectives of the class by allowing you to contribute more actively and substantively to lectures, discussions, and activities. You may not use devices to check email, monitor social media, or engage in any kind of interaction unrelated to class. Students violating this policy will be asked to discontinue all device use for the rest of the class period. Repeated violations will result in withdrawal of permission to use devices for the remainder of the semester. Finally, while laptops can be useful for taking notes, scholarly studies suggest that handwritten notes, when and if possible, better promote active learning and retention.

 

Grade Calculation

The midterm, final exam, and course grade will be calculated according to a 100-point scale. The grading scale is as follows:

A, 93 and above	C+, 77-79.99
A-, 90-92.99	C, 73-76.99
B+, 87-89.99	C-, 70-72.99
B, 83-86.99	D+, 67-69.99
B-, 80-82.99	D, 60-66.99
	F, 59.99 and below

 

Office Hours

My office hours are listed at the top of this syllabus, and I encourage you to visit with me during the semester. Please note that office hours occasionally must be changed due to meetings or other commitments. I will announce such changes in class and post a sign to my office door. Office hours are first come, first served and are a great chance to discuss specific issues arising from the course, as well as to exchange more general insights and chat about experiences from your studies or my research. If you need to meet with me outside of office hours, please email me to set up an appointment.

 

Introductory Meetings

I would like to meet with each of you individually during the first month of the semester. This is a great opportunity for us to chat about your interests, reasons for taking this class, possible future plans, etc. These appointments will last 10-15 minutes. A sign up sheet will be passed around during the first week of class.

 

Course Website
(http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/269/269.html)

The website for this course is a center for important information: syllabus, lecture handouts, writing assignments, study guide questions, exam review materials, and announcements. Please check it frequently, and feel free to pass along suggestions for additional links and information that should be included. Also, check out my homepage at:
http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/homepage.html

 

Readings

It is expected that you will have textbooks and other required class materials in order to achieve academic success. If you are unable to purchase course materials, please go to the Financial Aid office where a staff member will be happy to provide you with information and assistance. Readings marked "Moodle article" on the syllabus are available through Moodle. The books listed below are required for the course. They can be purchased at the bookstore. Hard copies have been placed on reserve at Dinand Library. Most (but not all) of the titles for this course are also available as e-books with unlimited user access.

Hebdige, Dick. 1979. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. Routledge. ISBN: 0415039495
Woodward, Sophie. 2007. Why Women Wear What they Wear. Berg. ISBN: 9781845206994
Lewis, Reina. 2015. Muslim Fashion: Contemporary Style Cultures. Duke UP. ISBN: 9780822359340
Hansen, Karen Tranberg. 2000. Salaula: The World of Secondhand Clothing and Zambia. Chicago UP. ISBN: 0226315819
Tu, Thuy Linh Nguyen. 2011. The Beautiful Generation: Asian Americans and the Cultural Economy of Fashion. Duke UP. ISBN: 9780822349136
Tarlo, Emma. 1996. Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India. Chicago UP. ISBN: 0226789764
Luvaas, Brent. 2016. Street Style: An Ethnography of Fashion Blogging. Bloomsbury. ISBN: 9780857855756

 

SCHEDULE FOR THE COURSE

Introduction: Fashion, Consumption, and Anthropology

While anthropology has long documented practices of dress and consumption, only in recent years have anthropologists come to focus on how the ways we dress reflect and shape aspects of our identities (e.g. class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age, location, and personality), as well as global economic, political, social, and cultural developments. The first part of the course will introduce the concepts of fashion and consumption, provide a brief historical overview of how anthropology has examined them, consider fashion's gendered associations, and probe the consequences of the relationship between consumer citizenship and fast fashion.

January 23 (W): Linking Fashion, Consumption, and Culture

January 25 (F): From Production to Consumption in Anthropology
Read: Miller, "Consumption and Its Consequences" (Moodle article)
Fiske, "Shopping for Pleasure: Malls, Power, and Resistance" (Moodle article)

January 28 (M): Gendered Consumption
Read: Nava, "Women, the City and the Department Store" (Moodle article)
Friedan, "The Sexual Sell" (Moodle article)

January 30 (W): Discussion
Read: Bordo, "Hunger as Ideology" (Moodle article)
Wilson, "Feminism and Fashion" (Moodle article)

February 1 (F): Right to Shop?: Fast Fashion
Read: Pham, "The Right to Fashion in the Age of Terrorism" (Moodle article)
Schor, "Cleaning the Closet: Toward a New Fashion Ethic" (Moodle article)
Moon, "Colors, Patterns, Fabric and Trim: Fast-Fashion Families in Downtown Los Angeles" (Moodle article)

February 4 (M): Ethnographic Participant Observation Exercise
Writing Assignment #1 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class. Deadline extended: response paper #1 may be submitted for full credit by Thursday, 2/7 at 12pm.

February 6 (W): Discussion

 

Why Do We Want Things and What Do Things Mean? Key Theoretical and Ethnographic Approaches to Understanding Fashion and Consumer Society

Adam Smith, credited as the founder of modern economics, claimed that human beings have an innate desire to acquire things so that we might earn the admiration of others. Anthropologists have tended to claim, on the contrary, that the desire to accumulate material possessions is socially and culturally created. How are desires for different types of material possessions formed? Why do we want things? In this unit, we will explore three different explanations as to why more and more people around the world have come to live in consumer societies and how their consumption practices relate to culture and class. To ground our theoretical discussion, we will read ethnographies about punks in Britain and individuals' daily dress choices.

February 8 (F): Thorstein Veblen and the Conspicuous Consumption of the Leisure Class
Read: Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class, Chapters 4-7, pp. 60-131 (Moodle article)

February 11 (M): Discussion
Writing Assignment #2 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class.

February 13 (W): Barthes and the Semiotics of Consumption
Read: Barthes, The Fashion System, pp. 3-18 (Moodle article)
Hebdige, Subculture, Introduction, Chapters 1-3, pp. 1-45

Optional Extra Credit Opportunity, February 13 (W) or February 14 (TR)
Vagina Monologues, Hogan Ballroom, 7:00 pm.

February 15 (F): The Language of Subculture: The Case of Punk
Read: Hebdige, Subculture, Chapters 4-6, pp. 46-99

February 18 (M): Movie: The Filth and the Fury
Read: Hebdige, Subculture, Chapters 7-9, Conclusion, pp. 100-140
McCracken, Culture and Consumption, Chapter 4, pp. 57-70 (Moodle article)

February 20 (W): Discussion
Writing Assignment #3 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class.

February 22 (F): Bourdieu on Cultural Capital
Read: Bourdieu, Distinction, pp. 1-17, 177-225 (Moodle article)

February 25 (M): Daily Dress Choices
Read: Woodward, Why Women Wear What they Wear, Introduction, Chapters 1-4

February 27 (W): Taste Work
Read: Woodward, Why Women Wear What they Wear, Chapters 5-8, Conclusion
Pham, Asians Wear Clothes on the Internet, Chapter 2, "Style Stories, Written Tastes, and the Work of Self-Composure" (Moodle article)

March 1 (F): Discussion
Writing Assignment #4 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich by 5pm.

Optional Extra Credit Opportunity, March 1 (F)
Prof. Rebecca Stein (Duke University), "The Age of the Smartphone Witness: Notes from Palestine/Israel," 4:30 p.m., Rehm Library.

 

March 4 (M) - March 8 (F): No class, Spring Break

March 11 (M): Midterm review session

March 13 (W): MIDTERM

 

Case Study 1: Secondhand Clothing

What do you do with clothing that you no longer want? Many Americans regularly clean out their closets and donate wearable clothing to charity. Large clothing donation bins are common sights across American cities and suburbs. What happens to that clothing? How is the global trade in secondhand clothing connected to global inequalities in production and consumption? Can secondhand clothing also be part of creative taste work? With what consequences?

March 15 (F): Trajectories of Production and Consumption: The Global Movement of Clothes
Read: Hansen, Salaula: The World of Secondhand Clothing and Zambia, Introduction, Chapters 1-3

March 18 (M): The Cultural Economy of Taste and Style: Secondhand Clothing in Zambia
Read: Hansen, Salaula: The World of Secondhand Clothing and Zambia, Chapters 4-7

March 20 (W): Movie, T-Shirt Travels
Film available from the library database: https://search-alexanderstreet-com.holycross.idm.oclc.org/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C1785147
For more information on the film, see its website
Read: Hansen, Salaula: The World of Secondhand Clothing and Zambia, Chapters 8-10, Conclusion

March 22 (F): Discussion
Writing Assignment #5 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class.

 

Case Study 2: Islamic Dress

To many non-Muslims around the world, Islamic dress, particularly the veil or hijab, makes a powerful fashion statement in a negative sense: it is typically assumed to signify women's subordination among Islamic populations. If this is the case, why are many educated, self-identified "modern" women around the world choosing to wear the veil and other forms of modest dress? What are the politics of gender, identity, ethnicity, and faith that shape Islamic dress practices?

March 25 (M): Fashionable Islamic Dress
Read: Lewis, Muslim Fashion, Introduction, Chapters 1, 2

March 27 (W): Global Modesty and Distinction
Read: Lewis, Muslim Fashion, Chapters 4, 5

March 29 (F): In-class video showings: "High Street Hijabis," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPxZ9jSwjy8
Mipsterz, "Somewhere in America," https://vimeo.com/100475946
"Hijabistas: Inside the World of Muslim-American Fashion," https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/hijabistas-inside-the-world-of-muslim-american-fashion
"WGN Interview with Hoda Katebi on JooJoo Azad & Tehran Streetstyle," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNwzxPpRVoA
Read: Lewis, Muslim Fashion, Chapter 6, Conclusion
Jones, "Fashion and Faith in Urban Indonesia" (Moodle article)

April 1 (M): Discussion
Writing Assignment #6 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class.

 

Case Study 3: Race and Fashion: The 1980s "Japanese Invasion," 1990s "Asian Chic," and the current "Asian Century"

In the 1980s, the international fashion press heralded the sudden emergence of Japanese designers as major players in the world of high fashion -- an arena previously dominated by Paris, Milan, and New York. In the 1990s, several waves of Asian Chic raised questions about whether apparent cultural appreciation is in fact cultural appropriation; these concerns continue today. More recently, fashion has become an important element of the "Asian century" featuring rapidly growing Asian economies, high-profile Asian and Asian diasporic designers, and Asian luxury consumers. Does race matter in high fashion? How do race and gender intersect? Is ethnic difference simply another marketing ploy to sell a commodity?

April 3 (W): Orientalism and "The Japanese Invasion"
Read: Said, Orientalism, pp. 1-28 (Moodle article)
Kondo, About Face, Chapter 3 ("Orientalizing: Fashioning Japan"), pp. 55-99 (Moodle article)

April 5 (F): Movie, A Notebook On Cities and Clothes
Read: Leshkowich and Jones, "What Happens When Asian Chic Becomes Chic in Asia?" (Moodle article)
Tu, The Beautiful Generation, chapters 3, 5

April 8 (M): Fashioning Difference
Read: Tu, The Beautiful Generation, chapters 1, 2

April 10 (W): Discussion
Writing Assignment #7 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class.

 

Case Study 4: Colonialism, Dress, and Identity

It is no accident that the emergence of consumer societies in Europe and North America coincided with colonialism. Meanwhile, in the colonies, the politics of imperial rule often played out in daily concerns over what people wore or should wear. How and why did colonialism promote increased consumption in Europe? What role did dress play in colonialism and anti-colonialism? What has been the legacy of colonialism for fashion in different parts of the world?

April 12 (F): Colonialism, Consumption, and Civilizing Fashion
Read: Tarlo, Clothing Matters, Chapters 1-2, pp. 1-61

Optional Extra Credit Opportunity, April 12 (F)
Thrift Swap 2.0, 12-2pm, the Hoval (Rain Location Hogan 304).

April 15 (M): Anti-colonial Dress
Read: Tarlo, Clothing Matters, Chapters 3-4, pp. 62-128

April 17 (W): Discussion
Writing Assignment #8 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class.

April 19 (F) - April 22 (M): No class, Easter Break

Optional Extra Credit Opportunity, April 23 (T)
Fenwick Scholar Presentation: Mia Yee '19, "Asians Eat Food and Drink Bubble Tea: The Co-Construction of Contemporary Asian Food Spaces and Asian (American) Identity," 4:00 pm, Rehm Library

April 24 (W): Class canceled due to Academic Conference

Optional Extra Credit Opportunity, April 24 (W)
Attend three presentations at the Academic Conference, at least two of which must be on the list supplied by Prof. Leshkowich. A complete program for the conference is availale online.

 

Case Study 5: Fashion Democratization? Street Style and Denim

In contrast to Barthes' and Veblen's accounts of fashion as driven by high status designers, magazine editors, or wealthy consumers, fashion dynamics today appear more democratic. Thanks to street style, fashion trends seem to trickle up at least as often as they trickle down. What explains the rise of street style? What new dynamics of status and distinction are emerging? How do amateur blogs drive fashion trends? Meanwhile, the global circulation of fashion trends raises questions about the fate of cultural diversity in a world in which people might be consuming the same items. What happens when certain styles, such as blue jeans, go global?

April 26 (F): Street Style Blogging and the Business of Fashion
Read: Luvaas, Street Style: An Ethnography of Fashion Blogging, Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2 (look over quickly, paying attention to photos), Chapter 3
View: "Take My Picture," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK2ylq-EOGg

April 29 (M): Online Talk, "Street & Elite: The Sartorialist's World of Style"
Read: Luvaas, Street Style: An Ethnography of Fashion Blogging, Chapters 4 and 5; Chapter 6 and Conclusion are optional, but look over photos

May 1 (W): Blue Jeans Go Global
Read: Miller and Woodward, Global Denim, Chapters 2 (Wilkinson-Weber), 5 (Mizrahi), OR 8 (Ege) (choose one chapter)

May 3 (F): Discussion
Writing Assignment #9 due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class.

 

Conclusion: Putting Production Back in the Mix
This course has focused squarely on issues of consumption of fashion so that we might understand its importance as a global phenomenon. But what is consumed must be produced. What forms of production make rising global consumption possible? What are the costs of fashion?

May 6 (M): What Are Clothes Really Worth?
Read: Pham, "The High Cost of High Fashion," https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/06/fast-fashion-labor-prada-gucci-abuse-designer

Diary and 3-5 page paper due on Monday, May 6 by 5pm by email to Prof. Leshkowich.

May 8 (W): Optional Final Exam Review Session, 11:00 am, Beaven 125

Monday, May 13, 8:00-10:30am: FINAL EXAM, Beaven 125 (to be confirmed)

 

For more information, contact:  aleshkow@holycross.edu