José Blanco F., PhD
Education
MA, California State University
PhD, Florida State University
Biography
Originally from Costa Rica, José Blanco F.'s teaching is informed by training on Pedagogy and Theater of the Oppressed and experience in social justice and restorative justice education. His goal in the classroom is to center students’ lived experiences in connection to the material they are learning. Blanco F. has experience teaching in a variety of settings, including at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, a Catholic liberal arts college and Hispanic-serving institution with a social justice mission. He was a faculty member at the University of Georgia, where he was the manager of the Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection, and at Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he managed the Historic Clothing Collection and coordinated the Master of Arts program in Historic Clothing and Textiles.
Blanco F. has experience teaching a variety of courses in the fashion and dress studies field including History of Dress and Fashion, History of World Textiles, Historic Collection Management, Museum Issues in Historic Clothing and Textiles, Fashion Theory, Twentieth Century Design, Cultural Perspectives in Dress, Social Psychology of Dress, Special Events, Fashion Show Production, First Year and Capstone seminars.
Blanco F.'s research focuses on dress and popular culture in the second half of the twentieth century, with an emphasis on men’s fashion and on fashion and visual culture in Latin America and the Latinx diaspora. He has published essays in a number of journals including Fashion Theory, Fashion, Style and Popular Culture, Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion, Dress, and The Journal of Popular Culture. He has contributed chapters in readers including The Fashion Reader, The Handbook of Masculinity Studies, The Fashion Business Reader, and Transglobal Fashion Narratives. He is also co-editor of the book Fashion, Dress and Post-Postmodernism.
Blanco F. is a proud writer, editor, and contributor of textbooks and encyclopedia projects, including editor of the fifth edition of The Meanings of Dress and general editor of the award winning four-volume encyclopedia Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe. He has several books nearing completion: Global Perspectives: Dress and Fashion in the 20th and 21st, a new textbook for Fairchild Books, Dress, Fashion, and National Identity in Puerto Rico: Taínos to Beauty Queens, a collection of essays written in collaboration with research partner and husband Raúl J. Vázquez López, and The Intellect Handbook of Men’s Fashion, co-edited with Ben Barry and Andy Reilly.
Research Interests
Dress and popular culture in the second half of the twentieth century; men’s fashion and masculinities; fashion and visual culture in Latin America and the Latinx diaspora; Puerto Rican fashion; auto-ethnography
Selected Publications
Barry, B, Reilly, A. and Blanco F., J. [Eds.] (Upcoming 2025). The Intellect Handbook of Men’s Fashion. London: Intellect.
Blanco F., J., and Vázquez-López, R. J. (Upcoming 2025). Dress, Fashion and National Identity in Puerto Rico. London: Bloomsbury.
Blanco F., J. (Upcoming 2025). Global Perspectives: Dress and Fashion in the 20th and 21st Centuries, (1st Edition). New York: Fairchild.
Blanco F., J., and Vázquez-López, R. J. [Guest Eds.] (2024). “Special Issue: Latin American Fashion” for Fashion, Style and Popular Culture.
Blanco F., J. [Ed.] (2024). The Meanings of Dress, (5th Edition). New York: Fairchild.
Blanco F., J. (2024). “Fashion and Dress Theory.” In Blanco F., J. [Ed.] (2024). The Meanings of Dress, (5th Edition). New York: Fairchild.
Blanco F., J. [Ed.] (2024). “On the Cover: Yinka Shonibare, Art, Fashion, and Decolonization.” In The Meanings of Dress, (5th Edition). New York: Fairchild.
Blanco F., J. [Ed.] (2024). “Social Justice and Human Rights.” In The Meanings of Dress, (5th Edition). New York: Fairchild.
Blanco F., J. (2021). “The Postmodern Era.” In Linda Welters and Abby Lillethun [Eds.], The Fashion Reader. 3rd Edition. London: Bloomsbury.
Blanco F., J. & Reilly, A. [Eds.] (2020). Fashion, Dress and Post-Postmodernism. London: Bloomsbury.
Blanco F., J. “Entropy, fashion and post-postmodernism: Auto-ethnography of a book editor.” In Blanco F., J. & Reilly, A. [Eds.] (2020). Fashion, Dress and Post-Postmodernism. London: Bloomsbury.
Reilly, A., & Blanco F., José. (2020). “Masculinities in Fashion and Dress.” In L. Gottzén, U.
Mellström, & T. Shefer [Eds.], Handbook of Masculinity Studies. London: Routledge.
Everett, Judith C., Kristen K. Swanson, and José Blanco F. (2019). Guide to Producing a Fashion Show. New York: Bloomsbury.
Blanco F., José. Chapter Editor (2019). “Part I: History of Fashion and Product Development.” In Joseph H. Hancock and Anne Pierson-Smith [Eds.] The Fashion Business Reader. London: Bloomsbury.
Blanco F., J., and Vázquez-López, R. J. (2019). “Dressing the Jíbaros: Puerto Rican Peasants’ Clothing through Time and Space.” In eds. Kimberly A. Miller-Spillman and Andrew Reilly, The Meanings of Dress (4th Edition). New York: Fairchild.
Blanco F., José and Raúl Vázquez. (2018) “From Traditions to Fantasy: The National Costume For Puerto Rican Miss Universe Contestants.” In Transglobal Fashion Narratives: Clothing Communication, Style Statements and Brand Storytelling. Intellect.
Smith, Dina, and José Blanco F. (2016) “‘I just don’t think I look right in a lot of modern clothes …’: historically inspired dress as leisure dress.” Annals of Leisure Research, 19(3).
Blanco F., J., General Editor. (2015). Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Conferences and Presentations
Blanco F., José. Invited speaker. (2022) ¡Moda hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion Symposium. The Museum at FIT. October 7.
Blanco F., José and Raúl Vázquez. (2022) “Globalized Masculinities in Latin America National Costumes.” Annual Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture and American Culture Associations. Online. April 13-16.
Blanco F., José. (2021) Panel member. “Keynote Academic Panel.” Fashion, Style & Queer Culture Conference. Drexel University. Philadelphia, PA. May 21-22.
Blanco F., José. (2021) “Entropy, Fashion, and Post-postmodernism: An Autoethnography Approach.” Annual Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture and American Culture Associations. Boston, MA. June 2-5.
Blanco F., José. (2020) Panel member. “Inclusivity: Who are Fashion’s Consumers? A Crucial Conversation.” The Fashion Group International of Chicago, Inc. Chicago, IL. October 12.
Blanco F., José. (2020) Panel chair and discussant. “In Translation- When Fashion Travels.” Fashion at the Periphery Conference. Chicago Fashion Lyceum. Chicago, IL. October 4-11.
Blanco F., José. (2020) “I Am Not Your Perfect Latinx Professor: An Autoethnography of Identity in Post-Postmodernity.” Caritas Veritas Symposium. Dominican University. River Forest, IL. September 22.
Blanco F., José. (2020) Panel chair and discussant. “Every Day Things.” American Everyday: Resistance, Revolution & Transformation Conference. Columbia College. Chicago, IL. February 14-15.
Blanco F., José. (2020) “Fashion, Appearance, and the Civil Rights Movement.” MLK, Jr Legacy Teach-athon. Dominican University. River Forest, IL. January 22-23.
Blanco F., José and Raúl Vázquez. (2018) “Jíbaros, Masked Soldiers, (Taínos), Militant Youths, and Beauty Queens: A conversation about Puerto Rican Dress, Costume, and Fashion.” Guest Lecture. Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors. University of Georgia. Athens, GA. February 23.
Blanco F., José. (2018) Panel chair and discussant. “It’s Just Fashion: Is Fashion Just?” Caritas Veritas Symposium. Dominican University. River Forest, IL. September 25.
Blanco F., José and Raúl Vázquez. (2017) “Jíbaros, Masked Soldiers, (Tainos), Militant Youths, and Beauty Queens: A conversation about Puerto Rican Dress, Costume, and Fashion.” Guest Lecture. School of Art, Architecture and Design. Indiana University, Bloomington. Bloomington, IN. October 16.
Blanco F., José and Raúl Vázquez. (2017) “Taíno Nation: Recovering Native Identities via Dress.” Annual Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture and American Culture Associations. San Diego, CA. April 11-15.
Blanco F., José and Raúl Vázquez. (2017) "Tropicalizing the Latin American Female Body at the Miss Universe Pageant’s Parade of Nations." Costume Society of America National Symposium, May 29 – June 4. Portland, ME.
Blanco F., José. (2016) “The Glamorous and the Shirtless: Male Fashion Designers on Instagram.” Annual Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture and American Culture Associations. Seattle, WA. April 1-4.
Blanco F., José. (2016) “Auto-Ethnography as Research and Teaching Tool” Caritas Veritas Symposium. Dominican University. River Forest, IL. September 26.
Blanco F., José. (2015) “No Sir, You Cannot Talk about Yourself –Much Less about Your Underpants: The Perils of Attempting Auto-ethnography in Fashion Studies.” Annual Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture and American Culture Associations. New Orleans, LA. April 1-4.
Exhibitions
“One Collection: 10 Observations” (2014) Barrow Hall Gallery. University of Georgia. Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection.
“Body Damage” Barrow Hall Gallery. (2013) University of Georgia. Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection.
“Montgomery Collection” (2012) Miller Learning Center. University of Georgia. Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection.
“Near and Far: World Textiles” (2011) Barrow Hall Gallery. University of Georgia. Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection.
“225: Items from the FACS Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection to celebrate UGA’s 225th anniversary” (2010) Barrow Hall Gallery. University of Georgia. Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection.
“West African Textiles” (2009) Barrow Hall Gallery. University of Georgia. Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection.
Billy Carter’s Service Station (2008). Plains, Georgia. Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection.
“For the Love of Labels: The Art of Designer Ready-to-Wear” (2008) Lyndon House Arts Center. Athens, GA.
“Shaping the Silhouette” (2007) Georgia Museum of Art. Athens, GA.
Awards
Davlin Diversity Leadership Award. 2023. Dominican University.
FACS 100 Centennial Honoree (recognition of 100 individuals who positively shaped the College of Family and Consumer Sciences from its origins to present day). 2018. College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia. 2018
Teacher of the Year, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia. 2008. University of Georgia.
Teaching Excellence award. 2006. The Florida State University. Tallahassee, Florida.
Courses
- HA 118 Introduction to Fashion History: Materials, Motifs & Meanings
- HA 237 Global Fashion: Ancient Origins to Modern Styles
- HA 246 Art and Social Justice in New York