Dress, Culture, Society
Week 3
Main Points
•
•
•
•
The definition of culture and society
The concept of dress to culture/society
Ethnocentrism and Eurocentrism
Globalization of dress and culture
Culture & Society
• Culture and Society are two concepts
needed in order to comprehend the
meaning of dress in a place and time in
order to analyze dress as a system of
nonverbal communication
What is Culture?
• The human-made (material) items and
patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior
(non-material) shared by members of a
group who regularly interact with one
another.
• Relates to the way humans behave, feel
and think from the time they’re born
Enculturation
• Learning cultural ways taught to members
of group in which raised
Acculturation
• Process of learning a new culture
Culture is:
• What people have
• What people do
• What people think
Culture Includes:
• Material and non material culture—the
two interrelate
• Material culture= tools, furniture, dress
(computers & technology, building and
architecture) i.e. tangibles
• Non-material culture= ideas, beliefs,
values, religious beliefs, ideas, standards;
expectations that are shared as the people
of a society, symbolic meanings i.e. nontangibles
• We make material things because of our
non material culture—what we make
comes from our ideas, beliefs, values.
• Significance of material and non material
things comes from being shared by a
group of people
“DRESS IS OFTEN
ONE OF THE
FIRST TYPES OF
MATERIAL
CULTURE TO
DOCUMENT
CHANGE IN ANY
“DRESS IS A VISUAL
EXPRESSION OF
WHAT PEOPLE ARE
THINKING, CHANGES
IN DRESS POINT TO
TRANSFORMATIONS
IN NON-MATERIAL
CULTURE.”
Microcultures
• AKA subcultures or cultures composed of
smaller groups
• Those who belong to one group within a
society & don’t necessarily agree with
those in other groups about non-material
culture—like values, or meanings
What is Society?
• A group of individuals who interact with
one another based on sharing of beliefs
and ways of behavior.
• People who live together and share ideas
about structural patterns, the system of
organizing families, political, economic
and religious structures
Socialization
• To learn about one’s society
Globalization
• Process that integrates separate societies
and cultural groups of the world into
unified, socially interacting structure
• Trade, travel, and technology are all
drivers of globalization
Cultural Flow
• Second to globalization—makes national
boundaries permeable and supports social
networks that circle the globe
Sociocultural Systems
• Everyday life norms very different from
one another
• 3 systems include:
– Tribal
– Imperial
– Commercial
• Tribal=small groups of people, related to
another by blood. Organized around domestic
household and extended network.
• Imperial=societies with a central government
organizing up to hundreds of thousands of
members with clear hierarchy of political
power, decision making for social organization,
and use of resources.
• Commercial= type of society people live in
today in most of the world with commerce as
the main activity of organization
Baiga women from the
Balaghat
district, Madhya
Pradesh of India
TRIBAL
• Understanding Sociocultural systems also
helps broaden understanding in
comparison among societies in present
day.
• EX: Ga’anda and Kalabari (both Nigerian
ethnic groups)
• Even tho Ga’anda and Kalabari are
members of same Nigerian commercial
national society, they dress very
differently and reflect different cultural
systems by their separate histories
• Ga’anda: Tribal sociocultural system
• Kalabari: Imperieal sociocultural system
• Kalabari Imperial past indicate their
distinctive manner of dress---which
distinguishes them from other Nigerian
ethnic groups. Their dress includes textile
from around the world—which is evidence
to their dvlpt of a global society.
Ga’anda women holding
traditional instruments for
song and dance
Kalabari
women in
traditional
attire
• Modern India=commerce based culture; but more
of a blend of many differenct sociocultrural
characteristics—depending on region.
• Class relations define social interactions
• Social interactions organized according to former
concept of caste ranking of individuals (imperial
sociocultural systems) and that status is often
reflected in dress—rural.
• Hinduism=India’s main religion, which includes
many gods. Those devoted to different gods show
that through their dress (forehead design or how
sari is wrapped)
Ganges River (mother Ganga) is an
important force of Hinduism and its
importance is still expressed in dress by
things such as the Ganga-Jamuna sari—two
different colored borders indicating the
place where Jamuna River flows into the
Ganges
Ganga
Jamuna
sari
Classic Examples:
• Rome=Imperial
• US & Japan=Commercial
4 Sociological Concepts
• Social status=defines individual’s position in society and
within various social groups
• Ascribed status= “a given” like age, gender, ethnicity, class,
caste
• Achieved status=position gained through accomplishment.
Range depends on system—can change throughout the course
of life—this status can be determined by status’—like our
birth circumstances, economic situations, health care/edu
access, etc.
• Social role=behavior that accompanies social status. Status’
and roles can change for people over time.
– We carve our own place in the social structure---through marriage,
occupation choices, money, politics, religion…all those decisions.
Ethnocentrism/Ethnocentric
• Misunderstanding or misinterpretation—
i.e. the expression in actions or
judgments of a particular cultural
viewpoint as superior to another.
• We focus on what is important in our
culture and ignore important aspects of
other cultures, believing our own
practices to be better than others’.
Eurocentrism/Eurocentric:
• Having a European heritage with a belief
that European ways of behaving are
superior
• Afrocentric: coming from an African
country or with African-American heritage
and favoring own way of viewing the
world over other ways.
• Tradition=cultural heritage, and practices that
come from the past
• Ethnicity=idea of tradition because ethnicity
refers to heritage of a group of people with
common cultural backgrounds
• Ethnic group=merged cultural or
microcultures within one nation formed in the
place they migrated
• Ethic dress=way group members dress to ID as
any ethnic group
• Members of various cultures have
increasing contact with one another—
especially now in our modern world of
easy travel and convenient
communication
• The blurring of cultural boundaries has
occurred over most human history---with
constructive and deconstructive results
• Similar ways of behaving has become the
norm around the world—especially with
social media and internet shopping
• World dress=similar body modifications and
supplements worn by people in various parts
of the world no matter where the types of
dress or the people themselves originated.
• EX: European men’s shirts, introduced
elsewhere as result of European colonization
from 17-19th centuries.
• OR garments from non-Western areas—like
Japanese kimonos influenced Western robes
(NOW especially!) or flip flops=Japanese
origin; Cowboy boots=Argentinian origin
• World Fashion=specific style of dress that
is worn in the exact same style in many
parts of the world at the same time. i.e.
designer jeans
Cultural Authentication
• The process by which members of a
cultural group incorporate foreign cultural
items and make them their own (more in
chpt 9)
Dress Related to Culture & Society
• Humans don’t exist in isolation, therefore
we are influenced by culture in the way
we dress and behave
• Certain limitations always exist for
appropriateness—even in the US where we
are individually free.
• Appropriateness varies depending on different
societies and cultures—i.e. French and Saudi
Arabian women…French women are more
exposed
• Dress is an example of material culture, but
dress also communicates non-material culture.
• How we are dressed may relate to our beliefs
about standards of dress –like wearing white
for funerals in Japan, but black in North
America. OR a bride’s covered shoulders in a
church wedding for stricter or more formal
religions.
Dress and Cultural Meanings/
Appropriateness
• Definitions of appropriate dress differs from
one culture to another
• EX: Coverage of the body with supplements
can range from a finger ring (min) to an
encompassing robe (max)
• Depending on the society, people may be
appropriately dressed even if they are mostly
bare and exposed, whereas other cultures/
societies may be appropriately dressed by
being fully covered –like Middle Eastern
women.
• Meanings are communicated from forms of
dress---things such as metal rings,
hairstyles or necklaces may indicate
marital status—depending on the culture.
• CULTURAL CONVENTION HAS NO LIMITS.
• We continue to use dress to define
ourselves and to announce our affiliations
as we fulfill our many roles in life.
• We use dress to communicate to other
which role we are emphasizing at any
given time during the day or through the
years.
Assignment:
• Read through PowerPoint and Chapter 2—
Dress, Culture & Society in The Visible
Self
• Take notes
• Start a thread on the discussion board
• Comment on at least one other
classmate’s thread
• DUE by Sunday, 2/17 at 11:59 pm (EST)
Body, Dress, Environment
Week 8
Chapter 6: The Visible Self
Main Points
•
•
•
•
Habituation, acclimation, acclimatization
Dress as cultural adaptation
How dress extends abilities of human body
Dress & Body and Environment
• Humans are adaptable
• Adapt to different environmental
conditions that affect body comfort/
functioning
• Adaptations either short or long term
• Short=cultural devices like clothing,
shelter, transportation
• Long=result of natural selection
• Physiological adaptation=short-term and
long term changes in individual humans
bodies and within human gene pools in
response to the physical environment
• A close relationship exists between
cultural designs of dress, shelter,
transportation, and environment…
Like:
• Dressing for your job
• Do you work outside or in an office?
Where do you live—is it warm all the time
or are their definite seasons? Do you
commute in a car? Or on a bike, subway?
• How is your dress affected by these
things?
Body Forms
• People of Australian Aborigines and Tuareg
of the Sahara live in dry heat and have
longer limbed, lean bodies to release
more heat more efficiently
• Alaska natives of Yupik or Inuit heritage
have shorter extremities and more
compact bodies to retain heat more
efficiently
Habituation:
• Small immediate physiological
adjustments the body makes to minor
changes in temperature or oxygen content
in the air
Like…
• We sweat as a result to hot temperatures
and as a way for our bodies to keep us
cool
• Also shivering and expansion/contraction
of blood vessels so varying amounts of
heat are given off with changes in
temperature and humidity
– Known as human internal thermoregulators
And…
• Shivering is immediate response to cold
• Muscles contract to produce more heat
and we end up with “goose bumps” which
is a reflex of our bodies
– the hair on our bodies stands up to increase
insulative value
Female/Male Differences
• Women have more fat than men and also
more sweat glands per unit are of the skin
• Women also have a wider comfort range in
temperature
– (meaning women can tolerate a different
range of temperatures easier than men)
• This difference in the sexes gives women
the ability to wear fewer protective body
enclosures than men under similar
environmental conditions without feeling
uncomfortable
• Acclimation=slightly longer term
adjustments occurring over one or a few
days
• EX:
– adjusting to time zones/jet lag
– altitudes
• Acclimatization=long-term physiological
adaptation can take months or years
• Sometimes passes from mother to child in
womb—can be genetic adaptation over
generations living in region over time
• Cold—high metabolic rates release more
energy in form of heat but require more
nutrients to maintain higher rate
• Inuit peoples live in cold Arctic and maintain
higher metabolic rates than those in warmer
climates
– Inuit have highest animal protein and fat diet of
any living population
• Alternate between vasoconstriction=narrowing
of blood vessels (reduce heat loss) and
vasodilatation=expansion of blood vessels
(increase heat retention)
• High altitude—living above 10k feet
causes many stresses like hypoxia (result
of available oxygen in atmosphere)
• Sherpa enable bodies to operate
successfully with reduced oxygen levels—
greater lung capacity, larger heart
muscles and therefore larger chests
• Habituation and acclimatizations are
most important adaptatations to
environmental conditions
Physical adaptation and dress
• Range of body behaviors-like sweating or shivering
—place different demands on body supplements
– Heat and moisture sometimes require different forms of
protective dress for survival, or more often different
forms of dress for maintenance of comfort
– IE fur parkas worn by Inuit
• Adjust to temperature through layers of clothing,
cloth type, thickness and weave structure, and
type of fibers favored
– wool can keep body warmer than cotton; wool has
scaley structure that maintains insulation; cotton has
moisture absorption qualities and keeps body cooler
• Consistent acclimatization to a specific
environment can alter populations
protective dress needs
• EX: When we travel to another part of
the world that is colder or hotter than
what we’re used to, we notice we either
need more or less protective clothing than
those from the area we’ve traveled to—
they are better acclimatized
Cultural adaptation of the body
environment
• Cultural adaptations=protect the body
and include dress and shelter
• Humans are less covered than other
animals—but we can cover or uncover
ourselves at will
• Humans use dress as tool to
acclimatize and thrive in
almost any environment
• Survival—these adaptations through our
dress make survival obtainable because
though humans are animals we are not
animals that can survive conditions with
no help (protect us against environments)
• We create our own safeguards against
various stresses and threats in the
physical environment
• Dress can function as an extension of the
body that may simultaneously be a
portable environment
– Camouflage dress—designed for specific
settings to ensure survival by blending into
environment (soldiers, hunters)
– Eyeglasses—so eyesight is clear
– Corset/brace—provide support for injured
back
• Humans also have capacity to create
detrimental environmental conditions—
such as war or working environments that
expose us to harmful chemicals, noise,
radiation, etc.
• This causes us to adapt our choices of
dress for protection—EX: bulletproof vest
• Or agricultural workers wearing different
garments to shield from pesticides and
other chemicals
• Sometimes dress meant to hinder
movement—
– Strait jackets
– Handcuffs
– Leg and neck irons
– Braces
– Corsets—in the 19th/20th centuries, and as a
result was dress reform
• Body supplements (clothing mostly) serve
as a mini environment and also interact
with the body to contribute to comfort
and health which in general depends on
maintenance of body temperature
• Clothing can prevent loss of body heat/
moister, prevent excess heat, protect
against bodily injury
Marlon
Brando in
The Wild
One
Dress as extensions and modifications
of body
• Our body=basic equipment for securing
comfort, satisfaction, survival
• Hands=tools for gathering food
• Thumbs=grasping ability
• Teeth/fists=weapons for defense
• Body supplements/modifications help
extend effectiveness
– handheld supplements—such as purses/
briefcases to help us carry more things
• EX: “four winds” hat—to carry small
objects like a carpenters apron
Supplements that extend motor skills:
• Foot and hand enclosures or attachments
• Basic means of transport=feet with
related motor skills
• Footwear is an early cultural
improvement for transportation
Snow shoes
• Northern American Indian moccasins—
protection against cold and uneven
terrain
• Snowshoe=most outstanding example of
adaptive footwear—could walk on snow
without sinking in
• Gloves=easiest way to extend body’s
mechanical abilities
• Gloves give protection against cold, or
heat, abrasion, chemicals—which allows
hands (tools) to function under various
environmental conditions
• Prosthetics are another extension to
enhance or replace physical power/
mechanical skills
• Artificial teeth=same (serving purpose)
Body and climate: DRESS
• Clothing serves several protective
functions
– Sahara Desert—protect against sun’s
radiation/against blowing sand
– Cowboy boots against rough terrain/
snakebites
• Cold regions require protective aids
Siple’s Clothing Zones:
• To simplify clothing in relation to climate:
• 1. Minimum Clothing Zone ( humid tropical and jungle
type)
• 2. Hot, Dry clothing Zone (desert type)
• 3. One layer Clothing Zone (subtropical or optimum
comfort type)
• 4. Two layer Clothing Zone (temperate cool winter type)
• 5. Three layer Clothing Zone (temperate cold winter
type)
• 6. Four layer Maximum clothing Zone (subarctic winter
type)
• 7. Activity balance Zone (arctic winter type)
Dress as Total Environment
• Diving suits=oldest example of dress as
total environment
• Someone facing hazardous environment
and unsupportive of human life
Space suit
• Provide ways to sustain body functions
while allowing body mobility
• Have systems that remove heat, carbon
dioxide, water vapor, urine and fecal
matter, and for providing oxygen
• Helmets allow for vision but keep out
radiation
• Suit itself includes flameproof woven
fabrics and plastic films to protect from
meteoroids and extreme heat/cold in
outer space
– Have systems that keep track of blood
pressure, heart action, body temperature,
and respiratory rate
Biohazard suit
• Design based on suit developed by NASA
but used by people in hospitals or CDS
(center for disease control)
• Protects against biological agents,
especially airborne viruses
• Includes helmet, oxygen supply, fabric
designed to prevent airborne pathogens
from passing into the suit
• System that creates negative air pressure
Other examples of total environment:
•
•
•
•
•
Bee keepers
Astronaut space suit
Deep sea diving suits
Fire fighter uniforms
Football or hockey uniforms
Assignment:
• Read chapter 6 of The Visible Self
• Take notes
• Start a discussion thread and respond to a
classmate’s post by
• No later than Sunday, 3/24 at 11:59 pm
Running head: CULTURAL INFORMATION AND TRADITIONS
1
Cultural Information and Traditions
Cultural traditions are the various rituals, events or even custom that a certain society
shares. Society means a group of people that have certain values and aspects that are common
among all the members. Sweden society has the cultural traditions that unify people. First, there
is education. Sweden society upholds both informal and formal education. Sweden society
enhances the formal education through parental training (Steinmetz 2018). This is the process
through which children learn the ways of their parents. On the other hand, there is formal
education, where most people go to school to acquire knowledge and skills to enable them to live
a better and more comfortable life.
There are various events that Sweden society shares. First, there are the national holidays
such as the Public Holidays. Every person in Sweden takes part in one way or another in the
Swedish National Day celebrations. This unifies the people as Swedes. There are various songs
that are also highly associated with Swedish Culture (Spring 2017). The national anthem is one
of the songs that connect the people of the Sweden. The national anthem illustrates the culture of
the people in regard to what they believe in. In addition, the song is played during specific events
and unifies all the Swedes as one people. Various festivals signify the traditional culture of the
Sweden people. For instance, most of the Swedes celebrate the Stockholm Folk Festival, where
the Folk music is played throughout the season. Other festivals celebrated include the
Midsummer festival, Stockholm Early Music Festival and Peace and Love Festival. Sweden also
celebrates its visual arts and architecture. Swedish government has put in place a national
museum used to preserve fine arts designed in a renaissance style. The cultural information and
traditions are maintained by society or even by the government.
CULTURAL INFORMATION AND TRADITIONS
References
Spring, J. (2017). The intersection of cultures: Multicultural education in the United States and
the global economy. Routledge.
Steinmetz, G. (Ed.). (2018). State/culture: State-formation after the cultural turn. Cornell
University Press.
2
Running head: ECONOMIC SITUATION IN SWEDEN
1
Economic Situation in Sweden
The Swedish economy has been growing recently compared to ten years ago. Its a country that
has been insisting on improving its export basis while creating a market for its product globally.
The economy has been developing on a basis of export-oriented where the government works to
find markets outside since the local market barely sustains the economy. The country is known to
export several products but majors in timber, hydropower, and iron ore. The foreign exchange
has seen Sweden grow and achieve a high standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech
capitalism and extensive welfare benefits (Ejdemo, & Söderholm, 2015). As outlined above, the
country is known for exporting timber and its known as the world leading producer in forest
products. The country has invested heavily in both road and rail transport to ensure there is a
network for delivering the forest products for export. There are numerous sawmills and paper
factories which process the forest products ready for export. There are other products that the
country produces in small packages listed above including iron ore and hydropower.
When one mentions Sweden, the economic aspect that people will have in mind is the forest
products. It’s an economy that has grown to greater heights by exporting their forest products
and dominating the global market. The technological advancement in Sweden relates to the
processing of the forest products, which in most industries is automated (Kanda, 2015). They
have invested heavily in processing machinery since they are aware of the workload involved.
They also have the military armaments technology plants that are secretive and which need high
levels of security. Their security detail in terms of technology is high since they believe in
protecting what they produce. It the world`s 29th ranked largest export economy in the world.
ECONOMIC SITUATION IN SWEDEN
2
References
Ejdemo, T., & Söderholm, P. (2015). Wind power, regional development and benefit-sharing:
The case of Northern Sweden. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 47, 476-485.
Kanda, W., Mejiá-Dugand, S., & Hjelm, O. (2015). Governmental export promotion initiatives:
awareness, participation, and perceived effectiveness among Swedish environmental
technology firms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 98, 222-228.
Running head: SWEDISH DRESS NORMS AND TRADITION
Swedish Dress Norms and Tradition
Jiantong Liu
Art 233
Liu1
SWEDISH DRESS NORMS AND TRADITION
Liu2
The Swedes are generally relaxed people, and this temperament extends to their dress
code both in the office environment and outside the workplace. Men prefer to wear smart casual
clothes like jeans and perhaps a dark conservative suit with a shirt and tie for special occasions
such as business meetings. Women, on the other hand, can wear either skirt or trousers
depending on the event or the weather conditions.
In the early nineteenth century, traditional costumes in Sweden varied according to
design, color and the different socio-economic classes that were present. Marta Palme and Queen
Silvia introduced the folk dress in the primary colors of the Swedish flag, that is, blue and
yellow. The national costume for women consisted of an apron that extended to the ground and a
full-pleated skirt body. The neck scarves for both men and women and blouses were made from
wool or silk and linen with elaborate embroidery patterns. Both men and women accentuated
their looks using bags which were created using different designs and materials. The difference
in fabrics in traditional Swedish wear was a reflection of ‘socio-economic status and
geographical origins of (the) wearers’ ("What Is Traditional Swedish Clothing?", 2015)
According to Ulrika Kyaga (2017), the early Swedish fashion and dress were influenced
by the French industrialization, a ‘high fashion zone,' from which the garments to be won filtered
down through definite institutional systems. The smart casual dress style of Sweden can be seen
in many cultures around the contemporary business world and also in the social environment of
prominent cities such as New York in America and Paris in France. In conclusion, the Swedish
dress has changed from a definite blue-and-yellow costume to modern casual clothes tailored for
different occasions and weather conditions.
SWEDISH DRESS NORMS AND TRADITION
Liu3
References
Kyaga, U. (2017). Swedish Fashion 1930–1960: Rethinking the Swedish Textile and Clothing
Industry (Doctoral dissertation, Department of Media Studies, Stockholm University).
What Is Traditional Swedish Clothing? (2015, August 4). Retrieved from
https://www.reference.com/beauty-fashion/traditional-swedish-clothingff9908d304d1ba9e
Purchase answer to see full
attachment