Between Diaspora and the 'Land of Israel': Jewish Dress, Migration and Belonging, 1880s-1948

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In every society, dress expresses intimate feelings of belonging and identity. A focus on dress is especially rewarding when looking at migrant societies. In these, people from diverse countries and background often have very different ideas of how one should dress and why. This project looks at the role of ordinary immigrants in defining dress ideals. It investigates how a consensual mode of dress emerges in a migrant society where different ideas of what 'one should wear' and why, exist, and compete. It also examines how and when certain ways of dressing become 'fashionable' in a society.I will work closely with a postdoctoral Research Associate and Israeli and British project partners in the museums and heritage sector, to investigate three strands which are united in their themes of dress as an expression of belonging in times of migration. First, a monograph will look at dress in the historical migrant society in the 'Land of Israel'. It considers the period between the 1880s, when large scale Jewish migration to the region began, until 1948 when the Israeli state was founded. The project will investigate how Eastern European and German immigrants to the region expressed their identity through dress and how they were able to enforce ideal ways of dressing. It analyses visual, written, and oral sources to show how these migrant groups defined and perpetuated certain ways of dressing as 'appropriate', 'ideal' and 'national' in the new homeland. It also examines the influence of the dress habits of the local Arab population and the changing occupying Ottoman and British authorities on these dress ideals. The project looks at five different historical settings in which dress ideals and practices of different Jewish (migrant) groups conflicted: Europe in the 19th century, Ottoman Palestine (1882-1918), the urban sphere and textile industry of the British Mandate (1918-1948), the rural sphere of the British Mandate (1918-1948), and 'in transit' between Nazi-occupied Europe and the British Mandate (1934 - 1948). By looking at dress, this project will make the role of immigrants in nation building visible. This will help to understand processes of inclusion and exclusion in a migrant society with individuals from vastly different backgrounds.Second, the project will use this as starting point to build an innovative global collaborative research agenda and research team. I will run an international online conference and edit a book that will compare histories of dress and migration across the world. We will investigate how migrant groups expressed their feelings of belonging through dress and how migrant groups influenced dress ideals and 'fashion' globally. The third strand is an ambitious programme of engagement work with partner organisations from the heritage and museums sector in Israel and the UK. I will hold two workshops with these project partners, one in Jerusalem with the Yad Ben Zvi Institute, and one in Leicester with Leicester Museums and Galleries, which target migrant groups from the diverse populations in the two cities. In the workshops, participants will be invited to bring an item of dress or photographs of dress items. Through the lens of dress, we will explore their personal or their family's history of migration and heritage. A final fashion show will showcase selected participants and their stories of dress and migration. A professional photographer and videographer will document these activities and photographs and selected professionally produced videoclips will disseminate these activities through a website, a YouTube channel and Twitter account.