Call for Book Chapters: “The representation of marginalized populations in collections and exhibitions of dress"

Vernon Press cordially invites scholars to submit book chapter proposals for an upcoming scholarly volume on the representation of marginalized populations in collections and exhibitions of dress, edited by Kenna Libes.

Fashion exhibitions are overwhelmingly about clothing worn and made by young, slim, white people. For this volume, we seek essays to cover the state of representation in museum
collections and exhibits concerning people who are Black, Indigenous, disabled, LGBTQ+, and/or fat. We seek essays on representation in exhibits or collections in terms of fashion designers, wearers, or mannequins and mounting. Are these objects in collections, and are they being used? When they are displayed, how is it done, and where is the line between tokenization and representation?

We welcome submissions from scholars, curators, and public historians intimately familiar with representation and fashion in museums who seek to study the methods and impacts of uncovering the dress of marginalized populations and diversifying the body types on display.

Topics can include but are not limited to:

• Blackness
• Disability
• Fatness
• LGBTQ+ (especially concerning transgender and intersex individuals)

Other potential topics can include:

• A broad examination of related dress objects in existing collections; the search for objects and images for research
• Case studies of one or more exhibits
• Discussions of curatorial experiences or public history

Objects may be contemporary or historical dress, though historical topics will be prioritized.

Desired chapters will be footnoted and formatted in Chicago Style and be between 5,000-8,000 words.
Please send abstracts of 250-500 words with a bio to book editor, kenna.libes@bgc.bard.edu by December 31, 2023. Authors should be able to produce complete chapters by May/June 2024.
Additionally, please indicate in your email whether you would be able to or interested in having your chapter translated into Spanish.