Part 3 - Object's Social/Cultural Context

As an object, the kilt has seen its social and cultural context shift in its movement from the British Isles and Ireland to other locations through the diasporic movement of people. Like was mentioned in my previous post, the kilt was an item primarily worn by Scottish and Irish men as a signifier of various social and cultural associations. The various patterns (tartans) of the kilt conveyed certain information about the wearer to the rest of society. Of course as a piece of clothing, the kilt can be seen as just an item for wearing, but of course we've learned that even the most mundane or common object has certain cultural and social contexts ascribed to them. Therefore the kilt as an object is an immediate identifier of cultural heritage in most cases. The tartan can speak to the wearers family heritage, social status, and regional belongings. While the social status aspect was possibly the least used as a signifier, there did exist certain ties to social hierarchy, such as the existence of a royal tartan. As well it could be argued that social status was directly linked to family heritage and regional belongings in some respects, so the three are mutually connected on certain levels.

      As an item of clothing, the kilt can be used in daily life without question. This is of course particular to the regions in which it originated in, as the wearing of a kilt in areas outside of England, Scotland, and Ireland can be a spectacle of sorts as they are not commonly worn outside of those areas; specifically in the movement of those diasporic peoples over to North America. While the kilt was/is an everyday article of clothing for those in the homeland, it is especially prevalent in special activities/ceremonies; most notably the highland games, cultural festivals, weddings, and military observances. Over the course of the object's movement to different countries, it became less commonplace and was relegated almost primarily to special occasions. As such, the kilt came to be recognized primarily as an object which conveyed the wearers cultural heritage, being either Irish, Scottish, Welsh, or British primarily. Of course in other countries, such as Canada and America, the kilt on occasion has become an object which transcends its original cultural and social context based on the wearer. One most notable example of this was when Samuel L. Jackson routinely wore a kilt while promoting an upcoming film in which he starred. In this occasion, the kilt was given a completely new set of meanings by its wearer. For one it was a promotional object, used to help bring awareness to an upcoming film. As well it created a new cultural approach to the kilt as an object not just for those with a certain heritage.