On February 19 at 6 p.m. Albanian ethnologist Dorina Arapi will give a lecture about Albanian traditional dresses. The lecture is a part of the lecture series "World and Nations" and is organized in co-operation with the Department of Ethnology of the University of Tartu. The lecture is in English and free of charge.
The traditional dresses are undoubtedly one of the most prominent manifestations of material culture. They provide a source of information about a community, a social group or a culture in a period of time. In the preindustrial societies, in many forms and ways, the traditional dress communicated information about the bearer: it was an indicator of who you were, showing a social belonging, age, civil status and religious affiliation.
To study a traditional dress of a community, a scholar has to explore the social life, the structure of social classes, the role of women and men in society, the changes and patterns of social behavior as well. The political and economic conflict affect the restriction of clothing and materials used in their sewing. Economic issues affect trade policies, import and export of goods, and consequently they affect the transport, communication or production of goods consumption. Gender construction, the role of women in the public space, women seen as a consumer, spatial organization, sumptuary laws, were some of the issues that affected the traditional dress as well. As such, dressing becomes part of a wider communication system of goods, ideas and relations. In itself, the traditional dress constituted a form of communication, and on the other hand was a subject of communication itself.
In her lecture, Dorina will talk about the urban and rural traditional dress, the dress practices and their meaning to the locals in Albania.
The traditional dresses are undoubtedly one of the most prominent manifestations of material culture. They provide a source of information about a community, a social group or a culture in a period of time. In the preindustrial societies, in many forms and ways, the traditional dress communicated information about the bearer: it was an indicator of who you were, showing a social belonging, age, civil status and religious affiliation.
To study a traditional dress of a community, a scholar has to explore the social life, the structure of social classes, the role of women and men in society, the changes and patterns of social behavior as well. The political and economic conflict affect the restriction of clothing and materials used in their sewing. Economic issues affect trade policies, import and export of goods, and consequently they affect the transport, communication or production of goods consumption. Gender construction, the role of women in the public space, women seen as a consumer, spatial organization, sumptuary laws, were some of the issues that affected the traditional dress as well. As such, dressing becomes part of a wider communication system of goods, ideas and relations. In itself, the traditional dress constituted a form of communication, and on the other hand was a subject of communication itself.
In her lecture, Dorina will talk about the urban and rural traditional dress, the dress practices and their meaning to the locals in Albania.