Äntligen hemma?

Kvinnliga forskares skapande av kön och tillhörighet i akademin genom kläder

Abstract

In this article, the process of creating "home" and "belonging" in an academic setting is discussed, through an analysis of how female graduate students talk about how they dress for different situations in the academy. The focus is on how gender, sexuality and research ideals are produced, constructed and created through the symbolic meanings of clothes. Symbols and signs are used differently according to which academic arena the graduate students belong. Symbols associated with "authority" are important in a situation such as teaching, while social activities such as dinner parties dictate another dress code in order to avoid presumed sexual invitations. Knowledge about the importance of the symbolic value of clothing also provides the opportunity to, through a more conscious choice, change a given gender order in the academy.