Literature Review

1. Studies on Uniforms

Uniform is a kind of clothing used according to certain systems and regulations through the discovery, analysis, induction and limitation of social needs, as a “non-verbal media, to meet the social organization form and people’s psychological demands” (Li, 2015). Therefore, wearing a uniform, or quasi-uniform, reflects “the identity of a group”, which is established by the common similarity and symbolism displayed in the key elements of uniform (Holloman, 1991). The Austrian novelist Hermann Broch (1945 cited in Fussell, 2003, p.19) states that “a uniform provides its wearer with a definitive line of demarcation between his person and the world”. Krueger (2012) also pointed out that uniforms are distinctive forms of dress that distinguish soldiers and sailors from civilians when studying military uniforms. A Chinese educator offered a similar perspective when studying the symbolic meaning of school uniform, : “school uniform is also a kind of signifier, the meaning of which is to confirm the identity, so as to produce an effect on internal cohesion and external separation” (Yan, 2005)

In a broad sense, uniform “is an important part of human society, a sign of uniqueness, a sign of social status and a sign of being a member of the group” (Craik, 2003). With the deepening of human social civilization, the social division of labor is becoming more and more detailed, and the research on different kinds of uniforms is endless. However, most scholars focus on the common types of uniforms in daily life, few of them make in-depth research on the uniforms in political activities. Therefore, this project hopes to start with the uniforms in protest demonstrations, analyzing the symbolic role of uniforms in the informal political practice of the real society.Self-identity and Social Identity

2.Self-identity and Social Identity

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, the concept of “identity” appeared with Freud’s gender research. Weinreich (1986, pp. 299 – 320), a sociologist, defined identity as “the whole of self construction, in which people analyze and explain the past, present and future self”.

There are two theoretical controversies in the study of identity: essentialism and constructivism. According to essentialism, individual identity is naturally owned or generated, and is obtained through individual will and rationality. Constructivists believe that identity is the result of social construction, and the socialization mechanism makes the structure of personality system and social system consistent (Zhang and Li, 2012). Thus, the research of personal identity can be divided into two parts: self-identity and social identity. People’s daily communication and interaction are influenced by group identity and individual identity (McCall and Simmons,1978). Social psychologists Tajfel (1981) and Turner (1987) proposed that social identity refers to the individual’s conceptualization of self, which originates from the expectations, recognition and norms of others, group organizations or society. On the other hand, individual self-identity is the reflection and orientation of the individual, which embodies the self construction of identity, and emphasizes the process of individual’s active pursuit of identity (Lee, 2013). Therefore, the study of identity of young protesters in this project will be divided into two perspectives: self and society, to investigate the formation of identity of these young people under the influence of uniforms.

Reference:

Craik, J. (2003). The Cultural Politics of the Uniform. Fashion Theory, 7(2), pp.127-147. Available at: https://www-tandfonline-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/doi/abs/10.2752/136270403778052140 [Accessed 23 Dec. 2019].

Fussell, P. (2003). Uniforms: Why we are what we wear. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Holloman, L. (1991). Black Sororities and Fraternities: A Case Study in Clothing Symbolism. In Cunningham, P. A. and Lab, S. V. (eds) Dress and popular culture. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Press. pp. 46–61.

Krueger, G.P. (2012). Psychological issues in military uniform design. In Sparks, E. (eds) Advances in military textiles and personal equipment. Elsevier. pp. 64-78 Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Xs5ZAgAAQBAJ&dq=advances+in+military+textiles+and+personal+equipment&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s [Accessed 21 Dec. 2019]

Lee, B. (2013) Group identity and individual identity: a narrative study of five rural teachers in a county. PhD thesis. Northeast Normal University.

Li, N. (2015) ‘Understanding and reasonable: the cultural goal of uniform design and communication’, Modern Communication: Journal of Communication University of China, 2(2), pp.162-163. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1007-8770.2015.02.038

McCall, G. J. and Simmons, J. L. (1978). Identities and interactions.[e-book] New York: Free Press. Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1966-10036-000 [Accessed 21 Dec. 2019]

Tajfel, H. and Turner, J. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. Organizational identity: A reader, pp.56-65. 

Weinreich, P. (1986) “The operationalisation of identity theory in racial and ethnic relations,” in Rex, J. and Mason, D. (eds) Theories of Race and Ethnic Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Comparative Ethnic and Race Relations), pp. 299–320.

Yan, G. (2005) ‘A cultural interpretation of school uniform’, Educational Science Research, (3), pp.18-20

Zhang, S. and Li, H. (2012) ‘Review on research of identity’，Psychological Research,5(5),pp.15-17