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Howard, P. M. A., Simpson, K. B., & Peligah, Y. (2015). Assessing Wearers’/Observers’ Understanding of the Ceremonial Significance of Academic Procession and Dress in Tertiary Institutions: Evidence from Kumasi Polytechnic. Arts and Design Studies, 36, 5-21.

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Academic Gown Design in Ghanaian Technical Universities: History, Theories, and Institutional Identity

  AUTHORS: Peggy Maansah Ankai Howard, Mark Oduro Brobbey, Osuanyi Quaicoo Essel, Emmanuel R. K. Amissah, Kweku Bedu Simpson, Patrick Osei-Poku

  KEYWORDS: Academic Gowns, Ghanaian Technical Universities, Cultural Capital Theory, Institutional Identity Theory, Design History Theory

  JOURNAL NAME: Creative Education, Vol.17 No.5, May 29, 2026

  ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the history of academic gowns in Ghanaian technical universities (GTUs) as markers of postcolonial identity and authority. It traces the transition from colonial-style regalia to Kente, Adinkra, and unique regional colours as institutions transitioned from technical schools to universities. This study is interpretivist in nature, employing qualitative document analysis and the narrative synthesis of archival records, interviews, and photographic evidence through the lens of cultural capital, institutional theory, diffusion of innovation, and design history theories to explore how regalia selections reflect institutional aspiration and identity formation. The findings reveal that while GTU gowns are still mostly homogenous, the original mimicry of major institutions has developed into a process of localisation, collaborative manufacture, and symbolic distinction. The research indicates that academic regalia in GTUs include ceremonial dress and material culture that articulate postcolonial identity, institutional aspiration, cultural hybridity, and branding in higher education.