Social Theory of Fashion

Course objectives

This course introduces and examines social, sociological, and cultural theories and concepts central to the study of fashion. Various theoretical paradigms, schools of thought, and influential thinkers are considered, and these theories’ applicability to fashion phenomena are evaluated. Through concrete examples, the student learns to critically reflect upon both fashion scholarship and fashion itself. After the course, the student will be able to recognise different conceptual and theoretical ways of thinking; apply these ideas to multiple kinds of fashion phenomena; and evaluate their usefulness for different areas of real-life dress and fashion phenomena. The course gives the student tools to critically reflect upon fashion, to analyse dress and fashion phenomena, as well as to understand fashion scholarship in its wider context.

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ANNA MARI ALMILA Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Early studies in fashion I: Class and stratification / Early studies in fashion II: Social evolutionism and psychoanalysis / Alternative histories of social thought and fashion scholarship / Semiotics, dress, and fashion / Phenomenology and the human body / Fields of fashion and cultural production / Fashion and everyday life – Symbolic Interactionism / Power, gaze and governmentality – Post-Structuralism / Gender, performativity, and feminist social thought / Hegemony, cultures, and subcultures / Materiality and non-human agency – Actor Network Theory / Civilization process and Orientalism – Fashion’s Others / Fashion, modernity, and capitalism / Fashion and globalization.
Prerequisites
BA degree or equivalent. The course is only open for Master’s students. Anyone from outside of the Fashion Studies MA programme, must get a personal permission to attend.
Books
Inglis, D. 2025. An Invitation to Social Theory. 3rd edition. Oxford: Polity. Other material provided by the teacher. Materials are shared via relevant Moodle platform into which students must enroll. Enrolment instructions will be given during the first lecture.
Frequency
2 x 2h sessions each week
Exam mode
The student is required to write a 3000-word academic essay according to teacher’s instructions. If a student’s lecture attendance is not according to expectations, a longer essay is required.
Lesson mode
2 weekly lectures and/or tutorials. 2/3 of the sessions are lectures, 1/3 discussion tutorials. Students are expected to read allocated texts before sessions and participate actively during tutorials. In case of repeated non-attendance, essay requirements will be different.
  • Lesson code10620627
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseFashion theory and practices
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year1st year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDSPS/08
  • CFU6