Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cap And Gown? Use Of Headgear At Graduation In Uk Universities In The Twenty-First Century, Martin J. Hardcastle

Transactions of the Burgon Society

Academic headwear, partticularly in the form of the square cap or mortar-board, is perhaps the most widely recognised symbol of educational achievement in the world. This article surveys the current practice of wearing academic caps of all types at graduation ceremonies in UK universities, to understand whether there are common factors in the use or disuse of headwear, and thus tentatively to explain the wide variation in practice that is seen in the twenty-first century.