Chapter 3: Making Meaning of “Traditional” Clothing and Dress Across Generations

Family migration is a growing phenomenon and has attracted both policy and academic interests in its various facets. However, the material aspect has not been so. This chapter looks at the importance, sense, or meanings immigrants and their adult children make of “traditional” clothing related to the parents’ country of origin. This chapter focuses on the case of Ghanaians in Germany, and typically on the kente, wax print clothes, and the smock (fugu) being the material objects. Primary data for this chapter were gathered from two different research projects, one on Ghanaians living in Oldenburg and the other on children of Ghanaians living in Germany. Interview was the main tool used to collect data for both studies. This chapter adopted the theory of cultural transmission in minorities to understand data. Results and analysis show that both generations make sets of same and different meanings to these objects. The core argument of this chapter is that the family is the base from which children of immigrants learn to make sense of material objects related to their parents’ place(s) of origin, and immigrants socializing them in transnational social spaces enhance this.