Michael Alexander Langkjær

Short presentation

Teaching and competencies

Since 2006 a main focus of my research has been postwar Anglo-American youth and rock performer fashion and costume as a motivated style situated within a broader political, social, aesthetic, ethnic and gendered context.

Previous areas of competence have included the reception of Ancient Egypt (aka Egyptomania) and historiography of Egyptology, history of the theatre, 18th-century intellectual history, counterfactual history, and historical mythography/mythographical history centered on the American frontier myth.

I am also interested in superheroes and their significance in American society and presidential rhetoric, as well as considering seriously the political things that comics have had to say.

In addition, I am intrigued by the cultural heritage and image of the British Empire as expressed by film epics and post-war popular culture in the UK, such as rock/pop performance costumes and allusions to imperial Victorian/Edwardian history and society in the postmodern graphic novels of Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell).

The historical role of popular culture in political and social life, and how the political and social have been reflected by and/or expressed in popular culture informs all my research.

From 2011 to 2016 I was in the editorial staff and/or the Editing Board of the international, peer-reviewed biannual Catwalk: The Journal of Fashion, Beauty and Style which was based in Oxford, UK.

I am presently member of the European Science Foundation/ESF College of Expert Reviewers, who provide online assessment of targeted research proposals.

Keywords: Fashion studies; popular culture; rock and pop culture; subculture and gendered culture; cultural politics; postcolonial encounters; Americanisation; Globalisation; popular culture and ideology; contextualized fashion and life-style aesthetics.

Below is a selection of my publications in different fields and genres. Click 'publikationer' for an updated overview of all my publications.

Ongoing projects

I have been researching how Bildung, the Baroque and Rococo, and ekphrasis have affected Karl Lagerfeld's self-styling, historicist fashion-design and art-photography. An article on the intellectual/existential life-work dynamics of Karl Lagerfeld with respect to Old Catholicism, Judeophilia and Queer identity is in preparation.

The chapter 'Gone Before It Arrived - The Legacy of the Nehru Jacket in Contemporary Anglo-American Literature' to the anthology Fashioning Culture, Commerce, and Identity edited by Jacque Lynn Foltyn, is slated for publication at Brill, Leiden, in late 2019.

An article on Alan Moore's and Malcolm McLaren's graphic novel Fashion Beast (Avatar Press, 2013) is in preparation.

Edited book

Images in Tme: Flashing forward, backward, in front and behind photography in fashion, advertising and the press. Langkjær, M. A. (ed.), Sigurjónsdóttir, Æ. (ed.) & Turney, J. (ed.), Bath: Wunderkammer Press, Bath School of Art and Design, Bath Spa University, 2011.

Guest-edited special issue of international journal

Sportswear and Textiles. Special Issue of Fashion Practice: The Journal of Design, Creative Process & the Fashion Industry, Michael A. Langkjær and Mette Bielefeldt Bruun (eds.), 8:2, Nov., 2016.  

Selected articles and book chapters:

- Fashion and costume studies

'Baroque and Bildung in the Creative Practice and Personal Style of Karl Lagerfeld - Towards a Biographical Reinstatement of the Individual Designer.' Fashion Theory, DOI: 10.1080/1362704X.2019.1646558.

'Urban Fitness, Gendered Practices, and Fine Art: The Significance of Antonio Lopez's Sporty Styling of Fashion,' Fashion Practice 8:2, Nov., 2016, pp. 189-211.

'Déjà vu Desperados: Embattled Survivor Imagery of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the Setting of Youth Rebellion America, c. 1967-1973,' Catwalk 4:2, Sept., 2015, pp. 71-98.

'From Cool to Un-cool to Re-cool: Nehru and Mao tunics in the sixties and post-sixties West,' in: Global Textile Encounters, edited by Marie-Louise Nosch, Zhao Feng, and Lotika Varadarajan; Ancient Textiles Series, 20, Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2014, pp. 227-236.

'Camouflage as Communicator of Survivor Mentality in Contemporary Popular Music: Destiny's Child on the Cusp of Gender, Urban-Combat Attitude, Fashion and Politics,' in: Proceedings of the International Symposium 'Camouflage takes centre stage,' Brussels, October 13-15, 2010, ed. by I. Bogaerts & W. Palinckx, Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History, Brussels, 2014, pp. 109-117.

''Glamazons' of Pop: The Enigma of the Female Military-Styled Pop Star: Kate Bush and Madonna,' in Maria Vaccarella & Jacque Lynn Foltyn (eds.), Fashion-Wise (eBook of papers delivered at the 2nd Global Conference Fashion: Exploring Critical Issues, held at Oriel College, Oxford University, September 23-26, 2010), Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press, 2013, pp. 79-90.

'Not Entirely Subversive: 'Rock Military Style' from Hendrix to Destiny's Child', pp. 193-227 in Fashions: Exploring Fashions through Culture, edited by Jacque Lynn Foltyn, Oxford, UK: Inter-disciplinary Press, 2012.

'A case of misconstrued Rock Military Style: Mick Jagger and his Evzone "little girl's party frock" fustanella, Hyde Park, July 5, 1969.' Endymatologika/4. Endyesthai (To Dress). Historical, sociological and methodological approaches. Conference Proceedings, Athens, 9-11 April 2010. Nafplion: Peloponnesiako Laographiko Hidryma/Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation, 2012, pp. 111-119.

'Rock Military Style: Motivations Behind the Military Look of 1960s Rock Musicians.' Nordic Fashion Studies. McNeil, P. & Wallenberg, L. (eds.). Stockholm: Axl Books, 2012, pp. 271-291.

'Not Entirely Subversive: Rock Military Style from Hendrix to Destiny's Child.' Fashion Forward. de Witt-Paul, A. & Crouch, M. (red.). Inter-Disciplinary Press, 2011, pp. 123-135. [E-book].

'"Then how can you explain Sgt. Pompous and the Fancy Pants Club Band?" Utilization of Military Uniforms and Other Paraphernalia by pop Groups and the Youth Counterculture in the 1960s and subsequent Periods.' Textile History and the Military. Textile History. 41, 2010, pp. 182-213.

- Eighteenth-century studies 

'Oplysningstiden, de amerikanske og franske revolutioner.' Historiens Lange Linjer. Fonnesbech-Wulff, B. & Roslyng-Jensen, P. København: Gyldendal, 2006, pp. 221-239.

'Religion og økonomi: Grænser mellem fysikoteologi, moralfilosofi og praktisk landbrugsøkonomi i 1700-tallets Danmark.' Landbrug, Lokalhistorie og Langt fra Danmark. Andersen, D. H., Bjørn, C., Hessel, T. & Mackintosh, J. (red.). Odense: Knud Gr@phic Consult, Odense, 2002, pp. 26-46.

'Jens Krafts 'angenemme' blanding af mad og mumier med nogle anmærkninger om "den flittige, men smagløse Oldgransker Provst Trogillus Arnkiel i Aabenraa".' Chaos. 23, 1995, pp. 32-52.

- Popular and youth culture studies

'Stoffer, subkultur og 1968 - myte, bevidsthed, historie.' 1968 - Dengang og nu. Andersen, M. B. & Olsen, N. (red.). København: Museum Tusculanum, 2004, pp. 181-210.

- Counterfactuals studies

'Pygmalion og Klio: Mytetænkeende selvliv i kontrafaktisk historieskrivning.' 1066 - Tidsskift for Historie. 32, Nov., 2002, 3, pp. 16-29.

'Teiresias og kontrafakta: Om mytebaserede alternative fortider.' Den jyske Historiker. Julenummer 2001, pp. 30-47.

'Min Vilje er min Skæbne: Johann Friedrich Struensees politiske testamente.' En Anden Historie. Dahlberg, R. (red.). Viborg: Aschehoug, 2001, pp. 62-135.

- Historiography and reception of Ancient Egypt in the West 

'Fra Ægypteninteresse til Ægypteninspiration i Sinuhe.' Arven fra Ægypten. Christiansen, E. & Dahl Hermansen, B. (red.). 2. Århus: SFINX, 2001, pp. 251-261.

'Ægypticisme, ægyptomani. Egyptian revival: Om begreberne og deres anvendelse.' Arven fra Ægypten. Christiansen, E. & Dahl Hermansen, B. (red.). 1. Århus: SFINX, 2001, pp. 15-30.

'Ægyptologi og kunst - Mika Waltaris liv og forfatterskab.' Papyrus. 11:2, 1991, pp. 26-59.

Book reviews

'Roger Padilha and Maurice Padilha. Antonio: Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco. Foreword by André Leon Talley; Epilogue by Anna Sui. New York: Rizzoli. 2012, 304 pp., 65 dollars. Illustrated. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3792-2.' Catwalk 3:2, Sept., 2014, pp. 121-124.

'Fashion - Philosophy for Everyone: Thinking with Style, Jessica Wolfendale and Jeanette Kennett, eds., Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, 232 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-9990-2.' Catwalk 2:1, March, 2013, pp. 113-116.

'Vampirical Stick Pins, Deleuzian Folds, Noir Pastiches and other Wearability Conundrums: Fashion in Film.' Catwalk 1:1, Sept., 2012, pp. 91-99.

'Marina Frasca-Spada and Nick Jardine (eds.), Books and the Sciences in History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000). xiv + 438 pp. ISBN 0-521-65939-6.' Centaurus 44, 2002, pp. 146-147.

Exhibition reviews

'Feuerbach's Muses - Lagerfeld's Models.' Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg. 21 February - 15 June 2014. Curated by Prof. Dr. Hubertus Gaßner and Luisa Pauline Fink; in Catwalk 4:1, Spring, 2015, pp. 83-90.

'David Bowie is.' Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 23 March - 28 July 2013. Curated by Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh. Catalogue: David Bowie is. Edited by Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh. London: V&A Publishing. 2013. 320 pages. £35.00. Illustrated, annotated, with index. ISBN: 978-1-85177-737-2; in: Catwalk 3:1, Spring, 2014, pp. 106-111.