Kazakh Traditional Dress Through the Nineteenth Century

Dana Callahan
Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

About this Item

Title
Kazakh Traditional Dress Through the Nineteenth Century
Contributor Names
Callahan, Dana (Author)
Yanofsky, Anna (Thesis advisor)
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice (Degree granting institution)
Date
2023
Degree Information
M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2023
Department: Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
Advisors: Yanofsky, Anna
Committee members: Davidson, Hilary; Trupin, Deborah; Font, Lourdes; Abrego, Sonya; Matheson, Rebecca
Abstract
This study examines and explores traditional Kazakh dress and fashion during the nineteenth century – a period of significant cultural and social change in Central Asia. Drawing on a range of historical sources, including ethnographic travel accounts, photographs, and museum collections, and considering the historically nomadic culture of the Kazakh nation, the paper examines the various elements of Kazakh dress and its social, cultural, and economic significance. Discussions follow with respect to the use of natural materials such as wool, leather, and fur, as well as the role of dress in signaling social status and identity. Additionally, this paper provides an overview of the impact of external influences, such as Russian colonization, including under the Soviet Union, on Kazakh dress traditions. The paper observes that despite the challenges posed by external factors, traditional Kazakh dress persisted as a symbol of cultural identity and continuity in the face of rapid change. This project is focused specifically on Kazakh attire, separate from the broader category of Central Asian clothing, and aims to provide more clarity on what distinguishes Kazakh dress from its regional neighbors.

As this research project primarily relates to the author’s native country of Kazakhstan, its original contribution and perspective adds to the existing scholarship on this topic, most of which is by Soviet anthropologists and ethnographers and in the Russian language. The paper was written using English, Kazakh, and Russian (including Old Russian) language sources, with some produced in Kazakhstan (including Soviet Kazakhstan). The project aims to deepen knowledge about specifically Kazakh garment traditions for an English-language audience by increasing understanding of this nation’s history, culture and people
Subject
Textile research
Asia
History
Ethnology--Study and teaching
Asia, Central
Kazakhs
Clothing
Kazakhstan
Nineteenth century
Clothing and dress
Soviet Union
Ethnic costume
Keyword
Central asia
Kazakh clothing
Kazakhstan
Nineteenth century dress
Soviet union
Traditional clothing
Rights
In Copyright
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Identifier
FIT Repository ID: etd_000948
ISBN: 9798379899455
pqdiss: 30522753
Related Materials
Also available from ProQuest
Type
Text
Thesis
Language
English
Publisher
Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Citation

Callahan, D. (2023). Kazakh Traditional Dress Through the Nineteenth Century [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/120848
Callahan, Dana. Kazakh Traditional Dress Through the Nineteenth Century. 2023. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/120848
Callahan, Dana. "Kazakh Traditional Dress Through the Nineteenth Century." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2023. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/120848