Description: "Explores the social, political, economic, and cultural significance of various kinds of uniforms to consider how they embody gender, class, sexuality, race, nationality, and belief. From the pageantry of uniformed citizens to the rationalizing of time and labour, this category of dress has enabled distinct forms of social organization--sometimes repressive, sometimes utopian"--Publisher marketing.
Brief description: Lisa Godson is Programme Leader of the MA in Design History and Material Culture at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland.
Review Quotes:
"What does it mean to wear a uniform? How does uniformity transform bodies? These are just two of the questions addressed in this book. The answers are revealing, complex, and utterly compelling. A "must read" for anyone curious about the power of clothes in the modern world." --Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
"Rigorous, theoretically rich, transnational and transhistorical in scope, this book brings exciting new perspectives to the study of dress, institutions and disciplinary power." --Ilya Parkins, University of British Columbia, Canada "Innovative and fascinating ... a much needed approach to uniform as embedded social practice." --Sophie Woodward, University of Manchester, UK "[A]n invaluable resource for students of fashion, clothing, dress history and cultural studies." --Kevin Almond, University of Leeds, UK