Marco Pecorari is helping put fashion on the academic map
Marco Pecorari, a doctoral student at the Centre for Fashion Studies working on the cultural significance of fashion ephemera, is thrilled to be working at Stockholm University: "You would never find a centre like this in Italy."
"Together we're involved in shaping and influencing this emerging field; it's very exciting." Photo: Jon Buscall.
Founded in 2007, the Centre for Fashion Studies brings together established academics and fledgling researchers like Marco – a philosophy graduate – from a number of disciplines including art history, design, film, ethnology, and media.
"Broadly speaking Fashion Studies seems to have emerged from within Cultural Studies," explains Marco, "but the research community at the Centre are developing new conceptual frameworks for understanding fashion. We're helping to define the very nature of Fashion Studies as an academic discipline."
For Marco it's an exciting chance to be at the cutting edge of an emerging field.
"There aren't really many other places like Stockholm's Centre for Fashion Studies. Sure, there are a few schools in England like the London College of Fashion but this is really special because we put more emphasis on theoretical research than, say, the creative arts."
When he heard about the doctoral programme at Stockholm, Marco jumped at the opportunity to come to work at the Centre.
"I was working with a collection of artefacts at a museum in Antwerp, Belgium, when I heard about it. I was extremely pleased to be accepted to the doctoral programme and I'll start my third year in February," says Marco.
When asked what it's like now he's actually here, Marco beams.
"It's wonderful having a paid position as a doctoral student," he says. "It's quite unlike Italy because here I can focus on my research and teaching instead of doing other things. Doctoral students also have some status in Sweden in terms of attracting funding and a salary. I'm very grateful for the funding I've received."
Despite its strong emphasis on research, the Centre for Fashion Studies attracts both undergraduate students and masters' students.
"I've taught on both the undergraduate and the Master’s Programme in Aesthetic Disciplines," says Marco in near perfect English. "We seem to attract students from all over the world. I'm very lucky to be working in such an international and inspiring centre."
It's not just students who've picked up on the success of the Centre. Vice-Chancellor Kåre Bremer drew attention to its ongoing success in a blog post in May, noting that the Centre for Fashion Studies had the highest output of research per person at the University in 2009-10.
No wonder Marco believes this is an excellent place to start an academic career.
"It's too early to know where it will take me," he says. "But I consider myself to be lucky working alongside the staff and five other doctoral students. Together we're involved in shaping and influencing this emerging field; it's very exciting. There's a strong sense of community here and academic development. Our ideas and research are scrutinised in a friendly but scholarly way. It pushes you to develop."
Despite the cultural shock of swapping Italy (and Belgium, where Marco was living before moving to Sweden!) for Stockholm, Marco is extremely positive about his decision to come to what many regard as the capital of Scandinavia.
"People were friendly when I got here but it took me some time to really settle because I was off doing research in Antwerp again. But now I've established my life here. I've even bought an apartment in the city!"
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Interview and text: Jon Buscall
Web editor:
Paul Parker
Last updated:
July 13, 2011
Source: Communications Office
Forthcoming doctoral theses
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- Studies on Baltic Sea mysids
- Om professionella aktörers musikpedagogiska definitionsmakt : En kulturhistorisk studie av samband mellan musikpedagogisk teori och definitionsmakt
- Berättelser om den öppna planlösningens arkitektur : En studie av bostäder, boende och livsstil i det tidiga 2000-talets Sverige
