A comparative historical study of English and French men's self-fashioning, with reference to gender, sexual and national identity, c1740-90 [ 2002 - 2002 ]

Research Grant

Researchers Dr PK McNeil

Brief description The project analyses the transformation of Anglo-French social attitudes towards elaborate male dress in the period c1740-1790. In so doing, it offers a new explanation for the demise of court dress and the rise of that sober bourgeois style which continues to dominate western male fashion. It will produce the first comprehensive comparative study of two courtier figures, the French petit-maitre and the English macaroni, in order to advance the hypothesis that these national masculine identities were interdependent, and played a significant role in the redefinition of modern notions of gender, sexuality, health and consumerism.

Funding Amount $41,758

Funding Scheme Discovery Projects