The Birth of Cool
Style Narratives of the African Diaspora
Published on 23. July 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-350-18565-4 (ISBN)
Description
It is broadly recognized that black style had a clear and profound influence on the history of dress in the twentieth century, with black culture and fashion having long been defined as 'cool'. Yet despite this high profile, in-depth explorations of the culture and history of style and dress in the African diaspora are a relatively recent area of enquiry. The Birth of Cool asserts that 'cool' is seen as an arbiter of presence, and relates how both iconic and 'ordinary' black individuals and groups have marked out their lives through the styling of their bodies.
Focusing on counter- and sub-cultural contexts, this book investigates the role of dress in the creation and assertion of black identity. From the gardenia corsage worn by Billie Holiday to the work-wear of female African-Jamaican market traders, through to the home-dressmaking of black Britons in the 1960s, and the meaning of a polo-neck jumper as depicted in a 1934 self-portrait by African-American artist Malvin Gray Johnson, this study looks at the ways in which the diaspora experience is expressed through self-image.
Spanning the late nineteenth century to the modern day, the book draws on ready-made and homemade fashion, photographs, paintings and films, published and unpublished biographies and letters from Britain, Jamaica, South Africa, and the United States to consider how personal style statements reflect issues of racial and cultural difference. The Birth of Cool is a powerful exploration of how style and dress both initiate and confirm change, and the ways in which they expresses identity and resistance in black culture.
Focusing on counter- and sub-cultural contexts, this book investigates the role of dress in the creation and assertion of black identity. From the gardenia corsage worn by Billie Holiday to the work-wear of female African-Jamaican market traders, through to the home-dressmaking of black Britons in the 1960s, and the meaning of a polo-neck jumper as depicted in a 1934 self-portrait by African-American artist Malvin Gray Johnson, this study looks at the ways in which the diaspora experience is expressed through self-image.
Spanning the late nineteenth century to the modern day, the book draws on ready-made and homemade fashion, photographs, paintings and films, published and unpublished biographies and letters from Britain, Jamaica, South Africa, and the United States to consider how personal style statements reflect issues of racial and cultural difference. The Birth of Cool is a powerful exploration of how style and dress both initiate and confirm change, and the ways in which they expresses identity and resistance in black culture.
Reviews / Votes
An amazing new celebration of black style, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X ... the product of a lifetime's research. * The Observer * Readers/researchers interested in understanding the style practices of the African diaspora, or looking for ways to understand the field from a position that allows for a richer and more complicated ways of observing dress history [will] certainly get something from this book. * The Journal of Dress History * In this engaging book, Tulloch (Univ. of the Arts, London) expands on her work on the 'styled black body'...She uses an image or object-of the 2006 Stoned Cherrie Steve Biko T-shirt, say-and discusses its cultural weight and significance, presents readings and 'wonderings' (from her colleague Mona Choo), and then offers her own 'alternative reading.' The end result is a winsome mix of approaches to her subjects, backed up by serious scholarship. Summing up: Recommended. * CHOICE * The Birth of Cool makes a unique contribution to studies of dress and culture, as well as to black studies and diaspora studies. Tulloch deconstructs and reconstructs black aesthetics to open new pathways for understanding the lives and social histories of figures like Billie Holiday and Malcolm X. It is one of the most impressive works I have read in years. * D. Soyini Madison, Northwestern University, USA * The Birth of Cool offers a passionate reflexive analysis of transnational black glamour as an expression of undeniable presence, knowledge, and agency. As a foundational text, this book offers readers a deeper and more historical understanding of contemporary 'cool response' activism perhaps most famously practiced by Barack Obama, but visibly evident across the entire African diaspora. * Annette Lynch, University of Northern Iowa, USA *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
45 bw and 9 colour illus
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-18565-4 (9781350185654)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2016
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€29.99
Available for download
E-Book
01/2016
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€29.99
Available for download
Person
Carol Tulloch is Professor of Dress, Diaspora and Transnationalism at Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, UK. She is also the Chelsea College of Arts/Victoria and Albert Museum Fellow in Black British Visual and Material Culture.
Content
Introduction: This Time it's Personal
1. Angel in the Market Place: The African-Jamaican Higgler, 1880-1903
2. 'We Also Should Walk in the Newness of Life': Individualised Harlem Styles of the 1930s
3. 'All of Me': Billie Holiday
4. 'My Man Let Me Pull Your Coat to Something': Malcolm X
5. You Should Understand, it's a Freedom Thing: The Stoned Cherrie-Steve Biko T-shirt
6. Here: The Haunting Joy of Being in England
Coda
Bibliography
Index
1. Angel in the Market Place: The African-Jamaican Higgler, 1880-1903
2. 'We Also Should Walk in the Newness of Life': Individualised Harlem Styles of the 1930s
3. 'All of Me': Billie Holiday
4. 'My Man Let Me Pull Your Coat to Something': Malcolm X
5. You Should Understand, it's a Freedom Thing: The Stoned Cherrie-Steve Biko T-shirt
6. Here: The Haunting Joy of Being in England
Coda
Bibliography
Index