READ // Couture and Consensus: Fashion and Politics in Postcolonial Argentina, by Regina Root

We’ve just added Couture and Consensus by Regina Root, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies at the College of William and Mary and President Ad Honorem at Ixel Moda 2010, to our reading section! Here is the abstract:

“The intersection of fashion and politics in nineteenth-century Argentina

Following Argentina’s revolution in 1810, the dress of young patriots inspired a nation and distanced its politics from the relics of Spanish colonialism. Fashion writing often escaped the notice of authorities, allowing authors to masquerade political ideas under the guise of frivolity and entertainment. In Couture and Consensus, Regina A. Root maps this pivotal and overlooked facet of Argentine cultural history, showing how politics emerged from dress to disrupt authoritarian practices and stimulate creativity in a newly independent nation.

Drawing from genres as diverse as fiction, poetry, songs, and fashion magazines, Root offers a sartorial history that produces an original understanding of how Argentina forged its identity during the regime of Juan Manuel de Rosas (1829–1852), a critical historical time. Couture and Consensus closely analyzes military uniforms, women’s dress, and the novels of the era to reveal fashion’s role in advancing an agenda and disseminating political goals, notions Root connects to the contemporary moment.

An insightful presentation of the discourse of fashion, Couture and Consensus also paints a riveting portrait of Argentine society in the nineteenth century—its politics, people, and creative forces.”

Source: University of Minnesota Press

YES!! Sounds like an amazing read!

Listen to Prof. Regina Root discuss the naissance of her book Couture and Consensus, here!

Mary has a PhD in Sociology from University of Edinburgh, researching responsible fashion and transnational labour rights activism in the wake of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh.

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