CLUNL

A researcher at the Research Center for Linguistics at NOVA University Lisbon (CLUNL), Susana Duarte Martins, is part of the teaching team of the Summer School course “Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Study of the History and Heritage of Clothing”, organised by NOVA FCSH from 8 to 17 July 2026.

Part of NOVA FCSH’s Summer School programme, the course offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of clothing as both a historical and heritage object, bringing together contributions from the fields of history, museology, and linguistics.
The course aims to equip participants with the skills to identify, analyse, and critically examine garments, highlighting methodological, terminological, and transdisciplinary challenges associated with research in this field, as well as issues related to the sustainability of clothing collections in Portugal.

The programme covers, among other topics, the historical evolution of clothing, collection management and conservation, the development of terminological tools, and the historical reconstruction of garments. It also includes a practical component featuring a study visit to MUDE – Museum of Design.

Objectives

The course seeks to present the research on the history and heritage of clothing developed at NOVA FCSH, contributing to the expansion of this field of study, raising awareness of its relevance among diverse audiences, and training participants in the identification, inventory, analysis, and critical interpretation of clothing-related objects. By the end of the course, participants are expected to understand the challenges faced in research (material, methodological, terminological, and transdisciplinary) as well as those related to the sustainability of clothing collections in Portugal.

Programme

Operative concepts and categories in clothing, fashion, and the heritagisation of dress (Session 1)

This session introduces key debates and the conceptual framework for studying and analysing the history of clothing, its implications in the contemporary world, and the applicability of the concept of fashion heritage in the Portuguese context.
History and evolution of clothing (Session 2)

Focusing on the historical and academic context in Portugal, this session provides a state of the art overview, addresses research gaps (topics, disciplinary areas, sources, methodologies), and highlights opportunities for further development in the study of clothing history and cultures.
Management and conservation of clothing collections (Session 3)

This session includes a study visit to the reserves of MUDE – Museum of Design, addressing issues related to collection management and curatorship, conservation challenges, exhibition practices, and the museum’s thematic and material research needs.
Clothing terminology in the Portuguese language (Session 4)

This session presents the research behind the development of the European Portuguese version of the ICOM Costume vocabulary for garments and accessories, highlighting its main theoretical and methodological approaches and results. It also demonstrates, in practice, the application of terminological methods to the field of clothing in Portuguese, from a pluricentric perspective.
Historical reconstruction of clothing as a research tool (Session 5)

This session involves the analysis of textual sources (such as the dowry of Infanta Beatriz of Savoy, 1522, and Juan de Alcega’s Libro de Geometria, Pratica y Traça, 1580), as well as visual sources (painting, drawing, and sculpture in Portugal depicting women’s clothing in the 16th century). Participants will develop skills in information selection, decision-making, and practical reconstruction of a garment based on historical pattern designs.

Bibliography

Oliveira, F. de. (1993). Portuguese clothing in the Age of Expansion: 15th and 16th centuries. Ministry of Education Working Group for the Portuguese Discoveries.

Palla, M. J. (1999). Dress and painting: Grão Vasco and the altarpiece of Viseu Cathedral. Editorial Estampa.

Pinto, C. A. (2021). The inventory of Infanta Beatrice of Portugal’s wedding dowry (1522): A biography of the documents. OeZG – Austrian Journal of Historical Studies, 32(3), 122–142. https://doi.org/10.25365/oezg-2021-32-3-7

Volpi, M. C., & Duarte Martins, S. (Coords.). (2025). Women’s, men’s, children’s garments: The vocabulary of basic terms for the cataloguing of costume – Portuguese version. ICOM – International Committee for Museums and Collections of Costume. https://costume.mini.icom.museum/publications-2/terminology/

Welch, E. (Ed.). (2017). Fashioning the early modern: Dress, textiles and innovation in Europe, 1500–1800. Oxford University Press.

For further information and applications: https://www.fcsh.unl.pt/outros-cursos/perspetivas-multidisciplinares-na-investigacao-da-historia-e-patrimonio-do-vestuario/