Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: New Books in Western European Studies
Episode: Ulinka Rublack, "Dürer's Coats: Renaissance Men and Material Cultures of Social Recognition" (CEU Press, 2025)
Description: Jana Byars meets one of her academic heroes when Ulinka Rublack joins her to talk about Dürer's Coats: Renaissance Men and Material Cultures of Social Recognition (Routledge, 2025). During the Renaissance, clothing became more and more elaborately decorated and expensive. It often emphasised the privilege of the male elite. Yet clothing could also subvert or reshape conventional cultural norms. This book draws on the case of Albrecht Dürer to examine Renaissance male outerwear as a key element of signalling communication in everyday life. The recognised artist fought for the esteem of urban creators. In asserting his dignity and tast...