Core texts to be read before the lesson:

• Johnson, Kim, "Politics and Fashion", A-Z of Fashion, The Berg Fashion Library online, 2005.

Discussion Questions

What rules does your society have for ‘appropriate’ dress? Think about status, gender, age, work roles, etc.

Describe two or more current examples of fashion being used to maintain or create social power, using different examples than those mentioned in the article. Accompanying images are also useful. [Types of social power: legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, referent, and information.]

Homework:

Write a short paper (minimum 350 words) on the messages you are giving people with your personal choice of dress. Keep in mind the ideas discussed in class and be prepared to share your thoughts in the next lesson.

Core texts to be read before the lesson:

• Tyabji, Laila, "Fashion in Post-Independence India", Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: Volume 4 – South Asia and Southeast Asia: Part 5: Peoples and Dress of South Asia, Dhamija, Jasleen (ed), Berg, 2010. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/BEWDF/EDch4034

Discussion Questions:

Which styles that identify people as Indian, possibly even Indians of a certain class or role, have remained or changed since Independence?

Look at the contemporary styles of urban and rural Indian women or men by checking internet sources. What cross-cultural influences can you recognize (if any)? [Search the internet using terms such as the Hindi names for various clothing items, as well as Indian fashion designers, Fashion Week, dalits/untouchables, Indians at work or famous people]

Homework:

Write a short paper (300 words minimum) on the following question: What role has politics played in maintaining Indian fashion? Provide at least three examples, with at least two sources external to the assigned article.

Core texts to be read before the lesson:

• Andrade, Rita and Root, Regina, "Dress, Body and Culture in Brazil", Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: Volume 2 – Latin America and the Caribbean: Part 5: South America, Schevill, Margot Blum (ed), Berg, 2010. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.zi2752/BEWDF/EDch2064

Discussion Questions:

What three or more influences have shaped Brazilian fashions over the past couple centuries?

What examples of social power (refer to the text from lesson 1 ) can be noted throughout Brazilian history? How were these examples presented in day-to-day fashion and style?

Homework:

What similarities and differences (minimum of three) do you see between the histories of Brazilian and Indian fashions? Show fashion examples from The Berg Fashion Library or the internet to support your points.

Core texts to be read before the lesson:

• Bartlett, Djurdja, "Fashion under Socialism", Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: Volume 9 – East Europe, Russia, and the Caucasus: Part 2: History and Culture in East Europe, Russia, and the Caucasus, Bartlett, Djurdja (ed), Berg, 2010. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/BEWDF/EDch9016

Discussion Questions:

• What aspects of fashion were limited under socialism? Explain your answers
• What connections can you see between the rules of fashion under socialism and those in colonial India and Brazil?

Homework:

Share two examples (with optional images from The Berg Fashion Library) on each of the following topics:

a) How did individuals retain and express individuality under socialist rule?
b) What values were expressed in women's fashions under Soviet Socialist rule? Provide images to illustrate your ideas

Personal Research Paper

Choose one theme discussed in the articles from the previous lessons and compare/contrast this topic using the various countries/regions discussed over the course of this unit.

Some options might include a famous designer in each country/area, one way that people learned about fashions such as magazines or fashion exhibitions, a style worn by a certain group of people in each country/area (police, teens, school children, farmers, etc.), or one aspect of social power as seen in each region.

Do additional research on this topic in each country/region and write a paper, including articles and photos from The Berg Fashion Library and the internet to support your text. Minimum 450 words.

Optional class reading:

• Martin, David and Brown, Malcom D., "Multiple Meanings of the ‘Hijab’ in Contemporary France", The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library Online, 2001. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/9781847888709/DRSIMPRS0010 

Optional discussion question:

What were the three most important things you learned from this article? Relate one of them to the main discussion points of this unit, such as social power, colonization, cultural identity, etc.

Note three important ideas you learned from your research and be prepared to share them in a small group discussion.

Bring visual aids as appropriate.