O’Hagan, L. (2021) The anatomy of a battle jacket: a multimodal ethnographic perspective. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 50 (2). pp. 147-175. ISSN 0891-2416
Abstract
The battle jacket—a sleeveless denim jacket customized with band patches—is a staple item of clothing for heavy metal fans. This paper brings together social semiotic analysis and ethnographic insights to explore three different types of battle jacket: the “classic” jacket, the “tribute” jacket, and the “modern” jacket. It discovers that, despite the jacket’s assortment of bold images, colours, typography, and symmetrical arrangements, owners, in fact, consider aesthetics as secondary to the jacket’s function as a “channeler” of memories, relationships, beliefs, and ideologies. For each owner, the jacket serves a unique purpose, whether acting as a biography of their musical life (“classic” jacket), representing social ties and connections with loved ones (“tribute” jacket), or promoting particular political and religious beliefs (“modern” jacket). Through a multimodal ethnographic approach, battle jackets are revealed to be sophisticated and multifaceted artefacts with a range of sociocultural functions embedded in a rich history.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2020. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | battle jacket; heavy metal; social semiotics; ethnography; identity |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Jan 2021 10:23 |
Last Modified: | 22 Apr 2021 12:53 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0891241620950804 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:169717 |
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