Introduction
Much can be learned about a tourist by merely looking at her or his fashion statement. Along with this premise, it is similarly easy to assert that the way a person looks particularly based on accessories and clothes she or he wears, reflects the individual identity and personality one bears. Furthermore, given that every individual person is part of the entirety of the society, particularly the community she or he belongs to, the general culture and belief manifested in the clothes or other fashion statements that the population sticks to likely echo the characteristics of the cultural environment. As such, the aim of this research paper is to present a brief discussion on the implications of fashion as a pointer of the continuous change in the society and a mirror of the culture of a specific cultural group.
Literature review
This study will generally be guided by the interpretive perspective, and specifically by Alvesson’s (1996) situational approach. The interpretive perspective focuses on interpreting the perspectives and meanings of cultural members, and how these meanings are negotiated (Davis, 1994). This study will explore the meanings people from a particular cultural group may change their dressing style, but still maintain some of their cultural touch. The situational approach directs me to choose one particular group and explore its fashion in depth. Consequently, a suitable means of investigating the topic from this perspective is personal observation of dressing style and interview the selected group to understand the meaning for their conservative nature.
Justification of the research project
According to (Sproles, 1974), fashion is an aesthetic expression intended to communicate subtleties notions, and therefore, immediately an aesthetic order comes to be generally perceived as a code, then artistic work move beyond this code while exploring its possible extensions and mutations. The innovative facet of fashion in totality cultivates the many ways of expressing personality through other products available in the market. Moreover, it is believed that fashion is a cyclical reflection of cultural, social, and environmental characteristics that are unique to a given point in time in a particular geographical setting, in addition to complementing self-image (Azuma & Fernie, 2003). As such, the study of fashion and culture present the opportunity to critically scrutinize the whole range of culture without prior prejudice toward one.
Importance of the study
Tourists still represent their culture in what they wear and the way they do it. I am interested in this topic because I am an Arab and I see how most Arabs wear differently when away from their countries, they change their traditional clothes but somehow it is still much more conservative than others are. The same applies to other cultures.
Significance of the topic within the field of communication and media studies
Through the study of fashion and culture, students and professionals in the field of communication and media studies can effectively demonstrate how culture and fashion constitute distinct forms of identity and group membership. Studying the topic will provide some of the aspects for constructing views of the world, identities, and behavior. Additionally, the study will also highlight how sub cultural groups resist dominant forms of identity and culture, creating their own identities and style.
Research questions
The aim of this study will be to determine the factors that can help Arabian culture to develop through fashion. In terms that are more specific this paper aims to answer the following questions:
- What aspects in the context of fashion can be perceived as helpful in developing Arabian culture?
- How does the culture of Arabs cope with global fashion trends?
Objectives of the study
The study will be conducted to meet the following objectives:
Research methodology
The study will be conducted under the quantitative paradigm in which the survey method will be used with the aim of obtaining relevant information required to complete the research. In addition, quantitative research will be used to distinctively and plainly specify both the dependent and the independent variables under investigation (Matveev, 2002). Quantitative research also follows resolutely the original set research goals to arrive at more objective conclusions, determine the issues of causality, and minimize or eliminate subjectivity in judgment.
The implementation of survey method will take place in three successive data collection procedures. These procedures will include the pre-test of the questionnaire, conducting actual survey, and the counter-checking after performing data analysis. Testing before the actual survey will help to identify the shortfalls of the instrument that may compromise the proficient collection of valid and reliable data. Conversely, performing crosschecking will provide guarantee that the presented results of the analysis are consistent with facts and information in the field. Additionally, the research will gather secondary data, collate published studies from different local, and international universities and articles from social science journals.
Limitations
The main limitation to the research will be the limited time required to collect the information from primary and secondary sources. Time constraint of a semester provides limited time that may be ideal for an ethnographic study. However, I plan to make up for the limited by working extra hours to ensure that I complete the research on time.
References:
Alvesson, M. (1996). Communications, power and organization. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Azuma, N & Fernie, J. (2003). Fashion in the Globalized World and the Role of Virtual Networks in Intrinsic Fashion Design. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 7, no. 4, pp. 413-427.
Breward, C. (2005).The Culture of Fashion. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Davis, F. (1994). Fashion, culture, and identity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Matveev, A. V. (2002). The Advantages Of Employing Quantitative And Qualitative Methods In Intercultural Research: Practical Implications From The Study Of The Perceptions Of Intercultural Communication Competence By American And Russian Managers. New York, U.S.A: Russian Communication Association.
Sproles, C. B. (1974). "Fashion Theory: a Conceptual Framework", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 01, eds. Scott Ward and Peter Wright, Ann Abor, MI : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 463-472.
