Students will be able toidentify the influence of productive power on the production of fashion;trace the intersectional impact of fashion on different demographic groups according to race, class or gender;contextualise the ways in which fashion is used today;identify subversive fashion practices, in high fashion as well as in queer world-making.

Weekly readings; group and class discussions. Course language: primarily in English. Presentations and papers may also be in German.

This course explores the multifaceted relationship between fashion, culture, identity, and power dynamics. Examining the intersection of fashion with queer practices, ethical considerations in fast fashion, gender fluidity in haute couture, and the notion of fabulousness, the course aims to reflect on fashion as shaped by (productive) power. After introducing key concepts such as the gender binary and heteronormativity and exploring the ways in which fashion and ready-to-wear are designed around them, we will move on to historical examples where fashion was part of the law (e.g. the Stonewall era or the genderfuck style). The class will then move on to explore the subversive potential of fashion, particularly at the intersections of queerness (fabulousness), race (black style, appropriation) and class (high fashion, gender bending).

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Wird im Laufe des Seminars bekanntgegeben

Weekly participation (20%), presentation (40%) and a position paper (40%).

Students will be required to prepare readings for each session. The final block will be dedicated to students presenting their research or creative projects on a chosen aspect of the cultural politics of fashion. Students will need to demonstrate critical understanding of fashion as both shaped by productive power and a practice of self-expression and agency and analyse how fashion operates as a form of cultural expression, resistance, and social commentary.

Readings and participation: Quality of participation in group and class discussions, preparation of the texts.Presentation: Depth and coherence of the chosen topicPosition paper:Structure, clarity, depth, and persuasiveness of the argumentation (40%)Level of analytical and critical reflection (40%)Academic standards of citation (10%)