University of Minnesota (Saint Paul, MN) PhD in Design, Housing, and Apparel -- 2005 Advisor: Dr. Joanne B. Eicher Chair: Dr. Marilyn DeLong Dissertation: Macrocultures, Migration and Somali Malls: A Social History of Somali Dress and Aesthetics
University of Minnesota (Saint Paul, MN) MA in Design, Housing, and Apparel -- 2001 Advisor: Dr. Joanne B. Eicher Thesis: Rethinking "Fashion": The Case of Somali Women's Dress in Minneapolis-St. Paul as an Evaluation of Herbert Blumer's Theory on Fashion
Macalester College (Saint Paul, MN) BA in Art (Fibers), 1998 Magna cum laude Honors thesis: Cloth and Change in West Africa
School for International Training (Mali) Semester abroad program, Spring 1997 Independent Study Project: Le Marketing des Tissues Industriels au Mali (The Marketing of Factory Cloth in Mali)
PUBLISHED or IN PRESS
MONOGRAPH:
Akou, Heather Marie (2011). The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Akou, Heather Marie (2011). “Is There an ‘Islamic’ Dress? Evidence from the Internet Generation.” Khil’a: Journal for Dress and Textiles of the Islamic World. 28 pages plus 17 images.
Akou, Heather Marie (2010). “Interpreting Islam through the Internet: Making Sense of Hijab.” In Contemporary Islam: Dynamics of MuslimLife. Digital publication through springerlink.com with printed version to follow soon.
Akou, Heather Marie (2008). “Documenting the Origins of Somali Folk Dress: Evidence from the Bonaparte Collection.” In Dress: The Journal of the Costume Society of America, 33: pp 7-19.
Akou, Heather Marie (2007). “Building a New ‘World Fashion’: Islamic Dress in the 21st Century.” In Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, 11(4): pp 403-421.
CHAPTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO PEER-REVIEWED, EDITED VOLUMES:
Akou, Heather Marie (2010). “Hate Crimes and Profiling.” In September 11 in Popular Culture: A Guide, editors Sara E. Quay and Amy M. Damico. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp 29-30.
Akou, Heather Marie (2010). “Looking Like a Terrorist.” In September 11 in Popular Culture: A Guide, editors Sara E. Quay and Amy M. Damico. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp 13.
Akou, Heather Marie (2010). “Dressing Somali (Some Assembly Required).” Contemporary African Fashion, editors Suzanne Gott and Kristyne Loughran. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp 191-204.
Akou, Heather Marie (2007). “More than Costume History: Dress in Somali Culture.” In Dress Sense: Emotional and Sensory Experience of the Body and Clothes, editors Donald Clay Johnson and Helen Bradley Foster. Oxford: Berg, pp 16-22.
Akou, Heather Marie (2004). “Nationalism Without a Nation: Understanding the Dress of Somali Women in Minnesota.” In Fashioning Africa: Power and the Politics of Dress, editor Jean Allman. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp 50-63.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRY FROM ORIGINAL RESEARCH:
Akou, Heather Marie (2010). “Somalia.” In Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, Volume 1. Editors Joanne B. Eicher and Doran Ross, Oxford: Berg, pp 413-420.
IN REVIEW
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLE:
Akou, Heather Marie (in review). “A Brief History of the Burqini: Confessions and Controversies." Submitted to Dress. 17 pages plus 3 images.
RECENT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Akou, Heather Marie (2010). “Head Coverings in the Virtual Umma: The Case of Niqab.” Textile Society of America.
Akou, Heather Marie (2010). “Islamic Swimsuits: Filling a Need or Creating a New One?” Veiled Constellations, symposium at the University of Toronto.
Akou, Heather Marie (2009). “Dressing for Islam: The Role of the Internet.” Society for the Anthropology of Religion.
Akou, Heather Marie (2008). “Islamic Fashion: Reflecting and Shaping a Macroculture.” American Anthropological Association.
Akou, Heather Marie (2007). “Fashioning an Image of Islamic Dress: Contributions from Internet Commerce.” American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies.
Akou, Heather Marie (2007). “Interpreting Images of Somali Dress: Photographs from the World’s Fair.” Arts Council of the African Studies Association.
Akou, Heather Marie (2005). “The ABCs of Somali Dress: An Evaluation of DeLong’s ‘Expert Viewer’s Framework’.” International Textiles and Apparel Association.
Akou, Heather Marie (2005). “More than Costume History: The Definition of Dress and Somali Aesthetics of the Body.” Senses and Sentiments of Dress, symposium at the University of Minnesota.
Akou, Heather Marie (2004). “Ruining the Country: The Aesthetics of Somali Dress, 1960-1991.” African Studies Association.
Akou, Heather Marie (2004). “From ‘Merikani’ Cloth to Life in America: Somali Dress and the Cultural Authentication of Imported Textiles.” Textile Society of America.
MASTERS THESIS COMMITTEE CHAIR
Petra Slinkard (2008), "Dreadlocks in Babylon: Techniques and Motivations for Wearing Dreadlocked Hair in Southern Indiana," Indiana University, Apparel Merchandising.
Sonia Akhras-Rasad (2007), "A Comparison Study Between Batik and Other Resist-dyed Textiles," Indiana University, Apparel Merchandising.
Mary C. Embry (2006), "Fair Trade and Service Learning: The Case of a Symbiotic Relationship Used to Institute a SIFE Program," Indiana University, Apparel Merchandising.
Jessica G. Rall (2006), "Body Exposure in Fashion and Theater of the 1960s," Indiana University, Apparel Merchandising.
COURSES TAUGHT AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY
AMID-F203: Introductory Textile Science
AMID-F301: Dress Studies: Cultural Analysis
AMID-F301: Dress Studies: Dress and Religion
AMID-F352: Aesthetics
AMID-H404: International Textiles and Apparel Trade
COLL-S104: Culture in Our Closets: Dress and Identify (IFS)
EDUC-U206: Self and Society (IFS-Extended)
COURSES TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
DHA-4217: International Developments in Textiles and Apparel
DHA-4340: Woven, Knit, and Non-Woven Fiber Design Studio
ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES
(2010), Colonialism to Independence (Africa), Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, Volume 1, editors Joanne B. Eicher and Doran Ross, Oxford: Berg, pp 44-50.
(2008), Body Adornment and Clothing: Trade, New Encyclopedia of Africa, editors John Middleton and Joseph C. Miller, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp 251-253.
(2004), Islamic Dress (Contemporary), Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, editor Valerie Steele, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp 250-254.
(2004), Jilbab, Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, editor Valerie Steele, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp 288-290.
(2004), Plain Weave, Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, editor Valerie Steele, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp 416-417.
(2004), Twill Weave, Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, editor Valerie Steele, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp 419-421.
(2004), Satin Weave, Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, editor Valerie Steele, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp 417-419.
(2004), Jacquard Weave, Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, editor Valerie Steele, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp 415.
PUBLISHED BOOK REVIEWS
(in press) Africa Today Paul Faber (2010), Long Live the President! Portrait-Cloths from Africa, Amsterdam: KIT Publishers.
(2009), African Studies Review Alisa LaGamma and Christine Giuntini (2008), The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
(2009), African Studies Review Victoria Rovine (2008), Bogolan: Shaping Culture through Cloth in Contemporary Mali, second edition, Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
(2009), African Arts Ilsemargret Luttman, ed. (2005), Mode in Afrika: Mode als Mittel der Selbstinszenierung und Ausdruck der Moderne (Fashion in Africa: Fashion as a Means of Self-Glorification and Expression of Modernity), Hamburg: Museum fur Voelkerkunde.
(2007), Technology & Culture Colleen E. Kriger (2006), Cloth in West African History (African Archaeology Series), Lanham, Maryland: AltaMira Press.
(2006) Technology & Culture Daniel Miller and Suzanne Kuchler, eds. (2005), Clothing as Material Culture, Oxford: Berg Publications.
