Conference: Clothes Make the (Wo)man: Dress and Cultural Difference in Early Modern Europe, 26.-28.10.2017, Mainz

Leibniz-Institute of European History (IEG) Mainz (Web)
Time: 26.-28.10.2017
Venue: Mainz
Scholars of different disciplines have for a long time regarded dress as a key marker of difference in the early modern period. Dress was not just to signify identity, but rather to make identity, expressing social, gender, geographic, or occupational belonging. Individuals and groups used dress and fashion to express or challenge various and sometimes overlapping identities and thus challenged the image of a well-ordered society. However, dress has – for the most part – been dealt with in local studies or as part of national historiography. Comparative works or transcultural approaches are still rare. This conference, by contrast, looks at early modern dress from a transcultural perspective. The papers focus on dress as a marker of social status, regional identities and foreignness. They also discuss dress as signifiers and symbols, items of fashion and cultural transfer, as well as liturgical dress. Read more and source … (Web)