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traditional dress is used to articulate the ethnic identity through the examples of the Thai Malays ethnic
dresses.

Dress as defined by Roach-Higgins and Eicher (1992) is an ensemble of body modification and
supplements. This definition is a holistic approach to dress, encompassing everything that concerns the
body; body decorations; and disfiguring of the body; which includes tattooing, colouring of the skin,
hairstyles, piercing of ears, clothing or garments and accessories. Through social interaction of the
individuals and their dress, identities, attitudes, cultural values and beliefs are announced or
communicated (Roach-Higgins & Eicher 1995; Trollip, 1995; Ngwenya, 2002; Crane, Hamilton & Wilson,
2004). According to Roach-Higgins and Eicher (1995:14-15), dress characteristics for identities are
dynamic, and change in relation to materials, technology, economy, or societal concerns for conserving
the natural environment, and/or belief systems that “shape moral and aesthetics standards for dress”.
Furthermore, changes may occur as a result of the fact that the properties or characteristics of a particular
or type of dress “no longer serve as identity...” (p.16). Thus, the characteristics and significance of dress to
culture cannot be rooted to the past, but rather evolve with time and the changing use of dress.
According to Eicher and Sumberg (1995) ethnic dress is linked to ethnicity and ethnic identity.
Thus, dress is significant to ethnic identity, as it is used to communicate identity of individuals among
groups, and of a group. Various scholars argue that ethnicity embraces the ideas of group cohesion and
has boundaries that can distinguish members of a group from non-members. This unity shares a common
heritage including language, dress, beliefs, conduct and the general way of life. Ethnic dress as Eicher and
Sumberg (1995:302) suggest, “indicates common or shared ways of dress that identify a group of people
who share a common background and heritage”.
According to some scholars, tradition is culture-inclined. It is a learnt behaviour or practice that is
slow to change and tends to be confined. Tradition involves knowledge and customs that are handed over
through generations (Sperber, 1996). They constitute “an item or action(s) inherited intact from the past”
(Taylor, 2002:201). Jirousek (1997) supports these claims and views tradition as the notion of the past,
bound by social order and rules, and implies relatively slow change. Furthermore, it implies simplicity and
close community. Thus, the choice of dress in such settings is bound to be limited.

References

A Gunaratne. (1998). “Modernization, the State, and the Construction of A Tharu Identity in Nepal.” The
Journal of Asian Studies. pp 749-773. 6 R Maxwell.

Barker, C. (2003). Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. London: Sage.

Banks, M. (1996). Ethnicity: Anthropological Constructions. London: Routledge.

Bennett, A. (2005). Cultural Everyday Life. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

Bryman, A. (2004). Social Research Methods. 2nd edt. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chapman, M. (1995). “Freezing the Frame: Dress and Ethnicity in Brittany and Gaelic Scotland in Eicher,
J. B. Ed. Dress and Ethnicity: change across space and time. Oxford: Berg, pp7-28.
Chilisa, B. (2012). Indigenous Research Methodologies. London: Saga Publication Ltd.

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