Page 223 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol Two

572 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The history of woman is the history of the continued and universal oppression of
one sex by the other. The emancipation of woman is her restoration to equal
rights and privileges with man. • Tennesse Claflin (1846–1923)

Martin, S. F. (2004). Refugee women. Lanham, MD: Lexington. tuate and obscure the body. Most cultures have particu-
Organization of African Unity. (1969). Convention governing the specific lar dress for ceremonial occasions and life celebrations,
aspects of refugee problems in Africa. New York: Organization of
African Unity. thus dress holds a central role in ritual, social, and polit-
Scott, J. C. (1998). Seeing like a state. How certain schemes to improve the ical life.
human condition have failed. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press.
Stark, O., & Taylor, J. E. (1991). Migration incentives, migration types: Early clothing was dictated not only by climate and
The role of relative deprivation. Economic Journal, 101, 1163–1178. environment, but also by available clothing materials.The
Turton, D. (2004). Refugees, forced resettlers, and “other forced earliest forms of dress were probably animal skins, at first
migrants”: Towards a unitary study of forced migration. In A.
Pankhurst and F. Piguet (Eds.) People, space and the state: migration, used in their original shapes and later modified to fit the
resettlement, and displacement in Ethiopia (pp. 34–49).Addis-Abbaba, human form. The invention of textiles increased the
Ethiopia.
United Nations. (1951). Convention relating to the status of refugees. New scope and variability of early dress. Despite the wide
York: United Nations. diversity of dress globally, early humans developed a lim-
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (1999). The state of the ited number of basic garment shapes.The first woven gar-
world’s refugees 1997–98: A humanitarian agenda. London: Oxford
University Press. ments were probably simple rectangles or squares of
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2002). Statistical fabric draped or wrapped around the body.These multi-
yearbook 2001: Refugees, asylum-seekers, and other persons of con-
cern: Trends in displacement, protection, and solutions. Geneva, purpose garments could be used as a skirt, cloak, or even
Switzerland: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. as a shelter or bundle for carrying possessions. Its descen-
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2004). 2002 Statis- dants include the Roman toga, the Indian dhoti, and the
tical yearbook. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations High Commis-
sioner for Refugees. Indonesian sarong.
Zetter, R. (1988). Refugees and refugee studies: A label and an agenda. A hole for the head in the middle of the basic rectan-
Journal of Refugee Studies, 1(1), 27–42.
gle increased the possibilities for covering the body.This
garment could be worn loose, like the Peruvian poncho,
or belted around the body. The sides could be sewn up
to form a closed garment, like the Greek chiton.The addi-
Dress tion of sleeves created the T-shaped tunics of the Roman
and early European medieval periods and even the hum-
s early humans moved out of Africa and into colder, ble T-shirt. By slitting the T-shaped garment down the
Amore hostile climates they were confronted with the front, coatlike overgarments such as the Arabian abbaya
problem of keeping warm.Without a thick coat of hair to were created. In the steppes (vast, usually level and tree-
protect them from the elements they had to create an arti- less tracts) of central Asia nomads refined the coat by
ficial means of retaining body heat in order to survive. adding triangles of fabric to the front opening that over-
From this basic need developed the rich and varied dress lapped the chest area. This garment, the cross-fronted
of the world’s peoples. As societies began to develop, tunic, influenced early Chinese and Asian dress and can
many other factors determined the specific dress of a be seen today in the Afghan and central Asian khalats
region or a culture, including the technological levels, rel- and even the Japanese kimono. Any of these basic gar-
ative affluence, class and hierarchy, migration, war, reli- ments could be worn in combination or in addition to
gion, and industrialization. Historically dress has pro- skirts or pants to further cover the body and protect it
vided people with a visual cue that allows for the instant from the elements.
determination of ethnicity, class, gender, profession, eco- After the basic necessities were taken care of, dress
nomic status, and even place of origin. It forms an impor- became more elaborate, formalized, and regulated. It
tant element in social, technological, and economic his- began to differentiate one group, class, culture, or religion
tory and can be an excellent basis for the study of culture. from another. Clothing that mirrored social divisions and
People have used dress throughout history to both accen- defined subcultures allowed an instantaneous visual