BEYOND THE PENCIL TEST. Transformations in hair and headstyles, or communicating social change

Authors

  • Andre Powe

Abstract

Why does Black hair have such potency? To whom is Black hair speaking? What messages does Black hair communicate? Each hairstyle choice tells an intimate story of the wearer, disclosing a personal narrative to spectators. In this article, Andre Powe analyzes hair as sign, symbol, text, and a highly specialized language of representation.

Author Biography

Andre Powe

As a recipient of the Memories of Modernity grant from Malmö University, in November and December 2006 Andre Powe conducted participatory action research in Durban, South Africa. His Masters thesis in Communication for Development, on which this article is based, is entitled “Changing Spectatorships in Communicating Hair for Development: Symbols and Significations of Identities, Masculinities and Maturations”.

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Published

2009-04-01

Issue

No. 12 (2009)

Section

Articles