54. Foulard

Kyle and Emily examine the rich tapestry of language, fashion, and politics that is the word foulard, and unravel the threads connecting stamped silk to nifty neckerchiefs to religious raiments.

They delve into the oldest methods of dyeing silk handkerchiefs--a process not unlike how you dyed your t-shirt at summer camp. Kyle and Emily then discuss how language, too, is a tie-dyed blend of metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche, creating an intricate pattern of words and symbols.

And this humble scarf leads our hosts in yet another direction: a plight of French Muslim schoolgirls. They talk about the French “laïcité” principle of secularism, and how it affects Islamic garments like the chador or the hijab.