Cutting through the Layers a Study of a Hair Salon

Date of Award

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Vesperi, Maria

Keywords

Hair, Salon, Beauty

Area of Concentration

Anthropology

Abstract

This thesis is an ethnography of the Mike Miller hair and beauty salon located downtown in a medium-sized city in South Florida. My findings are based on participant observation and interviews. I want to follow James Clifford's idea of ethnography as an amalgam of participant observation, text, partial truth, and allegory; 'Introduction: Partial Truths' and 'On Ethnographic Allegory' exemplify these ideas. I want to focus on the theories of Martin Wobst, Charles Orser, Erving Goffman, Arlie Russel Hoschild, and Debra Gimlin. By focusing on these various concepts, I want to draw out issues such as the recursive nature of material culture in a hair salon, the presentation of self by both staff and clients, the relationship between hair and self-identity, managed emotions and emotional labor, agency and beauty negotiations, and the connection between beauty and power.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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