Nigel Lezama
Associate Professor
Education
PhD., Études françaises, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
M.A., Études françaises, Western University, London, ON
Email: nlezama@torontomu.ca
My interest in fashion and luxury started by studying mid-19th century French literature. I discovered that poor and marginalized Parisian artists, courtesans and other bohemians and demimondaines used fashion to challenge social norms and created their own luxury through art, poetry and lifestyle. These ideas help me analyse other luxurious practices in different areas of popular culture, like disco, hip hop, and drag to build a theory of luxury that decentres wealth, power and privilege. I write about how different groups from the 19th century to the contemporary period challenge dominant culture through personal expression and cultural production.