WAS IT SOMETHING I WORE?, dress identity materiality

372 pp., illus., paperback, Cape Town, 2012

A collection of essays on the significance of clothing in the construction of identity.

"'Was It Something I Wore?' is one of the mot compelling books I have read on any subject in a long time. It is a must-read for scholars not only in South Africa, but world-wide. A stunning multi-disciplinary collection of essays on the significance of clothing to understanding the complexities of individual, collective, and national experiences, this book illustrates in meticulous detail the many ways in which dress really matters." Sandra Weber, Professor of Education, Concordia University, Montreal.

Contributions include:
"'White' women in 'black' clothing: overtures towards 'Africanness' in dress in a South African context" by Juliette Leeb-du Toit
"Gender and Politics of the Basotho Blanket" by Mathabo Khau
"'Ayashisa 'mateki': Converse All Stars and the making of African masculinities" by Kopano Ratele
"Do Clothes Make a (Wo)man? Exploring the role of dress in shaping South African domestic workers' identities" by Sithabile Ntomela
"Dressing Sex/ Wearing a Condom: exploring social constructions of sexuality through a social semiotic analysis of the condom" by Ran Tao and Claudia Mitchell,
"Who Wears the Trousers Here? Women teachers and the politics of gender and the dress code in South African schools" by Pontso Moorosi
"'Angeke ngibe isitabane': the perceived relationship between dress and sexuality among young African men at the University of KwaZulu-Natal" by Thabo Msibi
"Wearing Our Hearts On Our Sleeves: the t-shirt and the South African activist agenda" by Relebohile Moletsane and Peliwe Lolwana
"Rewriting the Script: drag, dress and the body politic" by Crawl Evans and Robert J Balfour.

Relebohile Moletane is a professor and the JL Dube Chair of Rural Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Claudia Mitchell is James McGill Professor in the Faculty of Education, McGill University, Canada, and an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Ann Smith teaches Business Communication and Business Writing skills at the Wits Business School and is Adjunct Professor at McGill University, Canada, where she lectures in literary theory.