This exhibit is created by students who were enrolled in HIST 2452/6452 – Dress, Cloth and Identity in Africa and the Diaspora with Professor Judith Byfield and in collaboration with the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection. It builds on the insightful scholarship produced by Joanne B. Eicher and Sandra Lee Evenson who argue that dress is more expansive than clothing. Dress they argue is anything we do to the body and the things we put on the body (Eicher and Evenson 2015: 3).  Eicher and Evenson’s expansive definition of dress and their classification system is especially important as we study African dress systems.  African societies held different concepts about modesty and what constituted appropriate attire. Clothing was constructed from a variety of item – animal skins, bark cloth, or woven fabrics. Travelers to the continent from other world regions and religious communities imposed their cultural biases on the African cultures they encountered and their dress systems.  This was especially the case after European colonizers divided the continent among themselves in the nineteenth century.  Dress was a significant feature in the imposition of colonial rule. The course and this exhibit provides a different lens through which to explore and encounter African societies, their histories and dress cultures.

Black and white monkey fur
Dates Held
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - Friday, April 11, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Thursday, March 6, 2025 - Saturday, April 12, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Friday, March 7, 2025 - Sunday, April 13, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, March 8, 2025 - Monday, April 14, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday, March 9, 2025 - Tuesday, April 15, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Monday, March 10, 2025 - Wednesday, April 16, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - Thursday, April 17, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 - Friday, April 18, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Thursday, March 13, 2025 - Saturday, April 19, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Friday, March 14, 2025 - Sunday, April 20, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, March 15, 2025 - Monday, April 21, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday, March 16, 2025 - Tuesday, April 22, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Monday, March 17, 2025 - Wednesday, April 23, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Tuesday, March 18, 2025 - Thursday, April 24, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - Friday, April 25, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Thursday, March 20, 2025 - Saturday, April 26, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Friday, March 21, 2025 - Sunday, April 27, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, March 22, 2025 - Monday, April 28, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday, March 23, 2025 - Tuesday, April 29, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Monday, March 24, 2025 - Wednesday, April 30, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 - Thursday, May 1, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - Friday, May 2, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Thursday, March 27, 2025 - Saturday, May 3, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Friday, March 28, 2025 - Sunday, May 4, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, March 29, 2025 - Monday, May 5, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday, March 30, 2025 - Tuesday, May 6, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Monday, March 31, 2025 - Wednesday, May 7, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 - Wednesday, May 7, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - Thursday, May 8, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Thursday, April 3, 2025 - Friday, May 9, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Friday, April 4, 2025 - Saturday, May 10, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, April 5, 2025 - Sunday, May 11, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday, April 6, 2025 - Monday, May 12, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Monday, April 7, 2025 - Tuesday, May 13, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - Wednesday, May 14, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - Thursday, May 15, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Thursday, April 10, 2025 - Friday, May 16, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Friday, April 11, 2025 - Saturday, May 17, 2025
8:00am - 8:00pm
Location

Human Ecology Building

Event Details

Event Type
Exhibit
Departments
Human Centered Design