Creating African Fashion Histories: Politics, Museums, and Sartorial Practices

Creating African Fashion Histories explores the gap between African self-fashioning and museum practices, challenging coloniality in knowledge and institutions. It brings together scholars and curators to debate sources and approaches for constructing African fashion histories, examining their potential for decolonizing museums, fashion studies, and global cultural history. The collection showcases diverse voices and histories of circulation within and beyond Africa.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 05 April 2022
Publisher: Indiana University Press

Creating African Fashion Histories delves into the profound gap between African self-fashioning and museum practices, challenging the conventional classification of African clothing, textiles, and body adornments as mere examples of trade goods, art, and ethnographic materials. By juxtaposing the dynamic nature of African fashion with the static holdings of museums, this volume offers a distinctive approach to confronting the enduring legacies of colonialism in knowledge and institutions today. This comprehensive volume brings together an interdisciplinary team of scholars and curators to explore the sources and methodologies for constructing African fashion histories and assess their potential for decolonizing museums, fashion studies, and global cultural history.

The editors of this volume aim to address critical questions such as: How can researchers leverage museum collections to uncover the traces of past self-fashioning that are often obscured by racialized forms of knowledge and institutional practices? How can archival, visual, oral, ethnographic, and online sources be effectively employed to capture the rich diversity of African sartorial pasts? How can scholars and curators dismantle the Eurocentric frameworks embedded in historic collections and current curricula? Can the creation of new collections of African fashion decolonize museum practices?

The diverse voices featured in this groundbreaking collection shed light on fascinating histories and geographies of circulation within and beyond the continent and its diasporic communities. From Moroccan fashion bloggers to upscale Lagos designers, these narratives offer a comprehensive perspective on the evolution of African fashion, highlighting its cultural significance and global impact.

In conclusion, Creating African Fashion Histories serves as a groundbreaking exploration of the intersection between African self-fashioning, museum practices, and the broader context of colonialism and decolonization. By challenging the traditional narratives and highlighting the rich diversity of African fashion, this volume contributes to a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of global cultural history. It provides valuable insights for scholars, curators, and enthusiasts alike, as we strive to rewrite the narratives of fashion and cultural heritage and foster a more equitable and inclusive world.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253060112