A Study of Dress and Identity in the Late Classic Maya Court

Simple item page
atmire.migration.oldid5891
dc.contributor.advisorMcCafferty, Geoffrey
dc.contributor.authorTremain, Cara Grace
dc.contributor.committeememberReese-Taylor, Kathryn
dc.contributor.committeememberLyons, Diane
dc.contributor.committeememberHardy, Michele
dc.contributor.committeememberHalperin, Christina
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-29T17:04:10Z
dc.date.available2017-08-29T17:04:10Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.date.submitted2017en
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation seeks to understand the relationship between ancient Maya identities and dress during the Late Classic period (A.D. 600-900), through an analysis of sartorial representations of members within the royal court. The specific research question that frames this dissertation is whether roles or offices within the ancient Maya royal court were made salient through dress. Rather than focus on one particular type of identity or office role, this dissertation takes a more holistic approach by considering all royal court members represented on painted ceramic vessels. In carefully examining painted imagery and providing a means of identifying inauthentic representations of dress, this research also helps to uncover the life histories of Maya ceramics. Using organizational dress theory, the study contributes a novel insight into the nature of Maya royal courts. It demonstrates that dress is a useful means of examining the political makeup and behaviour of courts, though at present it cannot alone speak to all the identities of those within the court. The study also reveals the difficulty of understanding active individuals from static representations, reflecting the fluidity with which courtiers were able to change dress and shift their identities. Overall, there is a lack of evidence that dress made specific courtly roles salient. Maya courtiers seem to have chosen dress elements that align with their gender identity and elite positioning—choices that were regulated by informal rules (or norms) in society.en_US
dc.identifier.citationTremain, C. G. (2017). A Study of Dress and Identity in the Late Classic Maya Court (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25042en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25042
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/4037
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectArt History
dc.subjectEducation--Social Sciences
dc.subjectAnthropology
dc.subjectArchaeology
dc.subjectHistory--Latin American
dc.subjectMuseology
dc.subject.otherAncient Maya
dc.subject.otherRoyal Court
dc.subject.otherIdentity
dc.subject.otherDress
dc.subject.otherCeramics
dc.subject.otherLate Classic
dc.subject.otherFakes
dc.subject.otherForgeries
dc.titleA Study of Dress and Identity in the Late Classic Maya Court
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineArchaeology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
Files
Collections
Open Theses and Dissertations