History Commons^™

Session 2: Panel 2: Presenter 1 (Paper) -- A Brief History Of Footwear, Tobias B. Boudreau

Young Historians Conference

The use of footwear as a unit of analysis will help historians re-evaluate the relationship between technological diffusion and culture. Shoes are a common item across the globe, regardless of geographical, cultural, and economic divisions, and have been for a long time. Footwear reflects the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural environment of its owner, as well as characteristics of the owner themself. Shoes have taken on significant symbolic roles in art, literature, and everyday life. Essay is divided into four sections; Prehistory, Ancient, Middle Ages, Modern. Various examples from each time period are explained, compared with one another, and connected together …