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EMPIRE’S NEW CLOTHES: UNDRESSING NEOLIBERAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE LENS OF AFRICAN PRINT TEXTILES/DRESS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Olajumoke Thokozile Warritay August 2017 © 2017 Olajumoke Thokozile Warritay EMPIRE’S NEW CLOTHES: UNDRESSING NEOLIBERAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE LENS OF AFRICAN PRINT TEXTILES/DRESS Olajumoke Thokozile Warritay, Ph. D. Cornell University 2017 This project uses an industrial textile called African print as a lens into neoliberal capitalist development in the context of Ghana. African print was adapted from Javanese batik by Dutch imperialists, and supplied to markets in West and Central Africa starting in the mid-1800s. In the 1960s, the textile became the lynchpin of industrialization efforts in Ghana, and African print dress styles emerged as symbols of Black pride and resistance to cultural colonialism. In the eighties, textiles manufacturing in Ghana witnessed perceptible declines with the introduction of neoliberal policies and projects. The once nationally prized industry faltered in the face of competition from more capitalized producers in the world market. While obviously critical, this focus on declining manufacturing reproduces a common, one-dimensional story of the wide-ranging changes that have refashioned African societies in the last decades. The trend in development studies has been to overlook profound transformations in African consumption: from the growth of retail infrastructure and practices, to the consolidation of capital and power in consumer markets, and the evolving significance of global brands in social life. I examine African print markets in relation to the state, and competition between ‘local’, ‘cheap’, and ‘luxury’ brands manufactured in Ghana, China, and Holland, respectively. I argue for a relational approach that situates production and consumption within the same analytic field, and enables a richer understanding of the dynamics of neoliberal development in Ghana. Tracing threads of print textiles uncovers the ongoing legacy of colonialism in neoliberal markets, and the remaking of socio-cultural meaning by multinational capital and the neoliberal state. Importantly, print dress markets involve a range of garment producers, including informal workers in makeshift ateliers, small-scale entrepreneurs, and luxury fashion labels. With varying degrees of market power, artisanal crafts industries transform uncut fabric into custom-fit clothing. In the intimate exchange of ideas and services between textiles consumers and tailors lies the possibility of local advantage and promise; creativity is unleashed as the black body is dressed in confidence and style. While illuminating neoliberal transformations in Ghana, the lens of African print highlights broader patterns of socio-cultural change and capitalist development. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Born to Sierra Leonean parents, Jumoke Warritay spent her childhood years in Kenya and Nigeria. Moving to the United States for higher education, she attained a Bachelor of Science at Northwestern University. In addition to teaching and post-graduate research, Jumoke has worked in the fields of education research, fundraising, and diversity and inclusion. Personal and professional experiences in multiple countries and urban contexts have cultivated Jumoke’s interest in historical sociology, culture, race and ethnicity. Her research engages questions about markets, representations, inequality, and systems of oppression with the hope of disseminating critical, yet accessible, ideas and language for social analysis and change. Jumoke currently works as Associate Director of the Cornell Interactive Theatre Ensemble, an organization using theatre and dialogue to further diversity and inclusion. To my mother, for your endless love ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the years researching and writing this dissertation, I received guidance and assistance from many patient and generous informants, teachers, colleagues, friends, and family members. I have incurred many debts in the process, and it gives me great pleasure to thank everyone who contributed to this project. I am a better scholar and person because of your thoughtfulness, encouragement, and support. I would like to thank the Department of Development Sociology for providing an intellectually engaging and supportive environment. In particular, I am grateful to my advisor and committee chair, Fouad Makki, for pointing me towards decisive sources, providing a critical eye, and shaping my ideas at every step of the way. Thank you for taking me on as your student and encouraging me to explore a study of such breadth. My other committee members, Judith Byfield and Sandra Greene, provided much-needed subject expertise and substantive feedback. I am thankful for your generous advice and your unwavering support. I could not imagine a better-suited committee to meet my intellectual and personal needs. Thank you. The support of other faculty provided critical insights and bolstered my confidence along the way. Thank you Philip McMichael, Lindy Williams, Chuck Geisler, Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue, Lori Leonard, Max Pfeffer, and Robin Blakely Armitage for helping me believe in myself and for showing interest in my scholarship and well-being. My sincere gratitude also goes to Sue Barry, Cindy Twardokus, Allison Barrett, Tracy Aagaard, Linda Lambert, Terri Denman, and late Laurie Johnson whose patience and proficiency helped me and numerous other students navigate the difficulties of graduate life. The dual life I have lived as staff and student at Cornell has been possible thanks to my colleagues at the Cornell Interactive Theatre Ensemble. Special thanks to Vivian Relta whose interest in my dissertation and mentorship have been especially impactful. I also owe my success to a number of students who I was privileged to call colleagues and friends. I am thankful to Deladem Nai, Amanda Flaim, Daniel Ahlquist, Nosheen Ali, Mindi Schneider, Marygold Walsh-Dilley, and Jason Cons for providing guidance on how to navigate life at Cornell, and giving me a better understanding of how to produce high quality academic work. Special thanks go to Daniel Lumonya, Evren Dincer, Youjin Chung, Justine Lindemann, Tess Pendergrast, Eleanor Andrews, Rodrigo Alatriste-Diaz, Divya Sharma, Sneha Kumar, Karla Peña, Shoshana Perrey, Fernando Galeana Rodriguez, Nidhi Mahajan, Sabia McCoy-Torres, Susana Romero, Desmond Bratton, and Todd Dickey. For giving life in Ithaca more flavor, for your friendship, for asking thoughtful questions, helping me write through late nights and long weekends, and demonstrating that graduate school and fun are not mutually exclusive, I thank you. A very special thank you goes to Ian Bailey and Sara Keene whose kindness, concern, intellectual camaraderie, and love encouraged me through the toughest moments and gave me reason to continue. I am grateful that graduate school brought us together and for the countless ways you have inspired me. A wide number of strangers, colleagues, and friends made my fieldwork in Ghana possible, and I owe a debt of gratitude to them. In particular, the Mensa-Bonsu and Ajayi families generously hosted me; Akosua Darkwah provided invaluable insights; and several colleagues at Woodin, the Ghana Standards Board, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry went over and beyond expectations to help gather data. Most importantly, this project would not have been possible without the loving support of my parents, Batilloi and Cleopatra Warritay who worked and prayed to help me realize my intellectual potential. Thank you for your vision and unconditional love. I am deeply grateful to Yinka and Carolyn for steadfast encouragement. To dear loved ones who are not here to see this day: my late Grandma and Grandpa Agbaje, Aunty May and Aunty Nadline, thank you for your love and example. To Kenny, Taiwo, Toyin, Fredline, Durosime, Ibiduni, Toks, Dele, Dupe, and the Aunties and Uncles of the Ajayi, Adamolekun, M’Cormack, Adeyemo, Warritay and Agbaje families, you have been a loving community and solid foundation. Thank you for helping me stay grounded and for lifting me up when needed. Special thanks to Aunty Isa, Aunty Ellen, Aunty Latu, Aunty Ritia, Uncle Lekan, Auntie Tacey, Uncle Rotimi and many others whose prayers, good wishes, telephone calls, and texts I have received with appreciation. To all those who I have not mentioned by name who shaped my thinking, influenced my work, and supported me personally over the many years it has taken to complete this project, I offer my heartfelt gratitude. Your assistance made this project stronger, and any errors are entirely my own. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Culture and Political Economy (1-39) Research Problem Literature Review Questions and Method Concepts Structure Chapter 2: Through the Lens of African Print (40-68) Origins Forms Material and Symbolic Structure Chapter 3: From Developmentalism to Neoliberalism (69-99) Developmentalism Neoliberalism Chapter 4: Branding as Mystification (100-134) Choice and Competition Branding and African Print Fetishism and Reification Chapter 5: ‘High Fashion’ and Social Distance (135-161) Value Fashion Subjects and Objects Neoliberal Branding Remaking the Social Chapter 6: Refashioning ‘Africa’ (162-198) Subjects of Consumption and the New Market Design and Tailoring in Accra The Semiotics of African Dress Conclusion (199-205) x LIST OF FIGURES
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